Pearly white and pitch black
by Hanachana
Summary: A third year high school girl tries to run from her past only to run into it once more. What happens when she and her friends find themselves tangled in a story way out of their league? [WARNING: OC:s and pairings! c:]
1. Prologue

**[A/N]**

**Hey! So, this is the first fanfiction I've ever posted, so constructive critisism would be great! c: I just wanted to say hey and I hope you like my stories, this one and the future ones, too!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything borrowed from Hataraku Maō-sama!/The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, only the characters I've created!**

**Warnings: Language.**

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><p><strong>Pearly white and pitch black<strong>

Prologue

Hi. My name is Hana Wakahisa and I'm a third year student at Sasahata North High School. I'm unemployeed and live in one of the school's dorm rooms. My studies focus most on music, arts, psychology and philosophy. I'm not really the reading nor studying type, so I picked easy subjects to get through high school.

I share my room with a student of the same age, Ayame Honda. We usually get along well, we've had for a long time – we actually met way before we became high school students. We're very similar in many ways and that's always caused competition between us. Well, on my side at least. Who gets the highest grade (even though neither one of us really cares much for school), who runs the lap fastest, who's first solved the math problem... wow, all of these have something to do with school! I feel like such a hypocrite now. Heh.

I have a few close friends, all from Sasahata North. Gina Matsuoka is probably my closest friend along Ayame. She and I share a lot of the same thoughts and wishes, even though Gina's neverending curiosity, the want to win every argument no matter what and her ability to blend in with any situation separate her from my introverted "who cares"-attitude. She's constantly trying to change my world views, which of course annoys me beyond comparison.

What's that? You're not interested in my friends? Well, what are you interested in knowing, then? I'll answer any question you have about _me_, if it's more interesting to you.

"What's your favorite food?" Starting with an easy one, eh? Even though I love japanese food, I'd have to go out of line and say tacos. "Tacos don't count?" Well, you don't count!

"What's your sexuality?" I saw that one coming, and I'm going to be boring and say I'm straight. Well, I guess I'm not completely straight, but mostly. What do I mean? Well, you see, I'd make out with a girl, but not really go any further. What about you? Would you make out with a person of the same sex if you're straight, or with a person of the opposite sex if you're gay, or is it just me? Can't be just me, though...

"What's the meaning of life?" Really...? Your question would be better phrased if you'd have asked "what's the meaning of _your_ life?" I don't believe in a single meaning or fate for all living things. In my (humble) opinion every being gets to fashion their life and it's final outcome the way they want it to be. You know, shaping their own destinies.

Wow, this is getting into such a ramble. Better finish up the introductions so we can get to the story! So summarised, my name is Hana Wakahisa (but you can call me Hana-chan), I'm a high school student, I live in the school's dormitory, I have close friends from the same school and my favorite food is tacos. Oh, and one more thing...

I'm an angel.

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**Wow! There it is now, the first prologue to the first story I've ever published. I'm kinda proud of myself! Well, anyways, what do you guys think? I'm publishing the first chapter tomorrow, I have it ready on my computer. I haven't written farther than that yet (I kinda have it thought out though, partially at least), so if you review my fanfiction, you might be able to affect the story!**


	2. Chapter 1 - Just a highschool girl

**[A/N]**

**Here is the first chapter, as promised! I wanted to start off the story with an (more or less) ordinary day in Hana's life and this is the result.**

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><p><span>Chapter 1 – Just a highschool girl<span>

"Hana-chan! Hana-chaaaan!" I could hear Gina's voice calling.

"Hi, Gina-chan. What is it?" I asked with a half cheery, half curious tone.

"What do you mean 'what is it?' You guys were supposed to wait for me!" she said to me and Ayame next to me and began taking deep breaths, leaning her hands against her folded knees. She'd apparently ran here all the way from the dormitories.

"Huh? We were? But your classes today start way later than ours", I wondered.

"What?! Do you even listen to me, Hana-chan? I told you I have some business with the principal today. You know, concerning the student council", she spoke with an aggravated tone. I don't usually pay any attention when she starts talking about boring stuff like this. I just zone myself out and look at her, sometimes answering with a "yeah", or a "really?" It usually get's me out of the conversation quick enough.

"Oh, it must've slipped my mind. Sorry", I simply said and brushed my curly, white hair with green tips back with an innocent smile. Gina gave a powerless sigh.

"What am I gonna do with you", she muttered mostly to herself and corrected the position of her simple, black school bag on her shoulder. "Let's go, then. Your classes are beginning." And so we entered the school building.

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><p>I found my seat from the back of the arts' classroom and put down my bag. Ayame took her seat next to me and placed her bag on the table to hide her texting, blonde hair with two orange-red stripes on one side covering her silvery eyes from my line of sight. I leaned my elbows against the table top and looked around the classroom. There are four tables with two seats on all sides of them, thirty-two in total. The seats filled one by one when the stundents slowly poured into the small-ish room.<p>

"I can't wait to finish my painting", Ayame suddenly said with an eager attitude, silvery eyes meeting my dark green ones. It was clearer than glass that she was very proud of her work and, well, why wouldn't she? She does pretty well in arts since she loves painting and stuff. I like scribbling things too, but I don't do it quite as passionetly as she does. "I only need to add the final toutches. I hope I get a good grade for it."

"Yeah", I plainly answered. I know she likes to paint, but constantly hinting me to encourage her really irritates me. She probably doesn't do it on purpose, but still. She should know by now that I'm not good at supporting others. I mean I can hardly support myself!

The tall, young arts' teacher walked over to close the classroom door and then circled back to her desk. She cleared her voide to silence the classroom so she could say her morning hellos. Class had begun.

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><p>"Haa! Lunch break! FINALLY!" I yelled in relief. All the other students in the music class had already packed their bags and left, but Ayame was still collecting her things.<p>

"Please lock the door when you leave", the music teacher told us and adjusted his glasses. He gave us a warm smile and left the music room.

"I like music class, but two hours of listening someone rambling about classical music and it's history is too much!" I continued my complaining and sat myself on one of the desks. Ayame closed her bag and gave me a little "tssk" between her teeth. I raised a brow.

"You're just being lazy, Hana-chan", she said and sat next to me. I rolled my eyes and dug out my phone.

"Well, in the end it doesn't really even matter", I said and dialed Gina's number. I don't usually remember phone numbers, but hers had somehow stuck to my head for good. The phone beeped a couple of times before she answered. "Hey, whereddya wanna meet up?

"_Well, where are you?_" Gina asked.

"We're at the music class", I replied.

"_Oh, I'll just come there then, since I had math and all_."

"Alrighty, we'll wait. Bye." I ended the call and put the phone back in my bag.

"Where is she?" Ayame asked. She looked at me from the corner of her eye while tilting my chair with her feet.

"She just had math, so she's nearby. It won't take her long to reach here", I said and jumped off the desk, holding my school uniform's skirt down with one hand. I lifted my school bag from the floor and slowly headed for the door. Ayame jumped off the desk as well and lifted her bag on her shoulder.

"So, where're we gonna eat today?" she asked and followed me towards the door. I turned off the lights in the classroom and exited.

"I don't know yet... what do you think sounds good?" I asked. Ayame exited the classroom and closed the door, making sure it was locked.

"MgRonald's?" she suggested with a smile on her lips, tilting her head pleadingly.

"Hmm, I could go for a burger. Let's hope Gina-chan agrees", I said and turned my head towards the nearing footsteps. Speaking of the devil... Gina waved before reaching us.

"Have you guys decided yet?" the tall girl with electric-blue hair asked, smiling as usual. Well, she isn't really _that_ tall, it's just that Ayame and I are both really short, so in contrast she looks like a giant. She's admitted she get's annoyed by that, but what are you gonna do.

"Ayame-chan suggested MgRonald's. That okay with you?" I asked and already turned for the door at the end of the hallway.

"Sure, why not", she nodded and began heading for the door. Ayame and I did as well.

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><p>We had seized our favourite table from one of the corners of McRonald's. I sat in the corner spot, back towards the front windows and Ayame sat next to me. Gina had taken a place on the other side of the table, dipping her nuggets in some brown minium. I opened up the box my burger was in and gave a look at Ayame, who was still waiting for her pickle-free version.<p>

"You guys can go ahead and eat, I'll catch up", she stated. I nodded and took a bite of my burger. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until now.

"Hana-chan, did you finish the manga I suggested?" Gina asked between nuggets.

"The one about the vampire girl? Not yet. I'm close though", I mumbled from behind my burger and took another bite of it.

"Do you like it?" she asked and took a sip of her coke. I took time to swallow before speaking again. It was only polite, after all.

"It's alright. Vampires just aren't my thing... I'm more of a zombie-person", I stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, did you know that they already started airing the sixth season of "The Moving Dead"? It's really awesome for an American show, don't ya think?" Ayame declared exitedly. I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I love that show. I've been watching every episode... you should know, you're my roommate and everything", I said and raised a brow.

"I don't focus my time on watching what you do for your entertainment, little miss Important", Ayame said almost slyly and then chuckled.

"Little? I'm older than you two losers", I said ostensibly proud and flipped my hair like a real diva would. It made Gina giggle.

"Well, shit", she said sarcastically.

"I don't think being older than us is an accomplishment to be proud of", Ayame said. I was about to reply when a young guy with black hair and red eyes in a MgRonald's employee's uniform appeared with Ayame's order.

"One Big Mag burger with no pickles?" he asked politely. Ayame confirmed the order and thanked the man. "Enjoy your meal!" he requested before returning to his duties with an unworn smile on his face.

"That guy is so cute! He's probably half of the reason I love coming to McRonald's", Gina said with a low volume, checking out the young man who was now behind the counter taking orders.

"He really is cute", I had to admit. We see him almost every time we come to McRonald's and he's always so polite and cheery. The perfect service sector employee. Not my type though. I could totally see him with someone smart, well-behaved and, uh, _normal_, like Gina. He's a bit too much of a plain good guy for me. His constant smiling would drive me crazy.

"What are you guys doing after school tomorrow?" Ayame asked while taking out the hamburger from it's white and red cardboard box.

"I have to study... I was sick last week and missed a couple of tests, so I have to do them tomorrow and the day after", Gina said and ran her index finger down her cheek to mark a nonexistent tear.

"Too bad... what about you, Hana-chan?" Ayame turned her attention to me.

"I promised Etsuko-san to go shopping for games with her. There's a sale of older games at this one game store", I said and sipped coke from my cup.

"What? Really? You have plans...? And I thought you guys would help me with my history project", Ayame explained, disappointed of course.

"I'm terrible at history, though... you asked for tomorrow afternoon? What are you doing today, then?" I asked.

"I'm going shopping with Nobuko-san. She finally gathered the courage to ask out her crush and wants to find a perfect outfit for their date. Etsuko-san is coming as well", Ayame said. I don't know when, but half of her burger had disappeared. I stared at it for a moment. Was she a ninja or something? She only just got that thing!

"Etsuko-san really is everywhere", I blurted out. Luckily they didn't really seem to notice my partly annoyed tone. I could list a bunch of things I don't like about Etsuko, sometimes I feel like I hate her, but I hang out with her anyway. I don't know why, maybe I'm intimidated by her authority. And sometimes she makes me laugh.

"Nobuko-san admitted her _feelings_? To a _boy_? Are you _sure_?" Gina questioned Ayame and basically leaped over the table and onto her. I myself don't really care about Nobuko's adventures with her multiple crushes, but she always seems to be a fun topic of gossip for those two.

"She did! And the boy likes her back! Can you imagine? Haah! This all makes me kinda sad I don't have a boyfriend!" Ayame complained. Are you serious? She's serious. She's really acting like a hormonal teenage girl, isn't she?

"Ugh, boyfriends are overrated... you've probably heard the story of me and my resent ex enough times to get the picture", Gina said, frustrated. She broke up with an immature, clingy guy some time ago and loves sharing the story to every person passing by. I swear I've heard the whole thing at least three times now. Maybe more, I've learned to zone out when that tragic novel begins, too.

Ayame gave Gina a sympathetic look and dug out her phone. I guess she's just as bored in that story as I am.

"The lunch break's almost over. We'd better hurry up and eat", she said and put away her phone again. I looked at her tray. The burger and coke were almost gone! Seriously, she has to be a ninja. I can't explain it otherwise.

"You're right, I'll pick up the pace", Gina said and stuffed the rest of the nuggets in her mouth. I wasn't in that much of a hurry, since I'd been eating my meal during their chat.

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><p>After we left from MgRonald's we all went to our separate classes. Gina had chemistry, Ayame geopraphy and I psychology. Even though I very much like the subject, being all alone in class makes me a bit anguished. I don't like social interaction with people I'm not friends with. It makes me distress. I don't know how to deal with the teachers because they can completely ignore everything I say if I do something "wrong", and the other students are usually much more knowledgeable about certain things than I am. I feel so cornered alone in a classroom with a bunch of them.<p>

Luckily the school day didn't take too long to end and everybody got released home. I packed my things and exited the classroom, heading straight for the front door. That's where I always meet up with the girls when school is over. I saw them from a distance, one tall and one short, other with blue and other with blond hair. I waved as I closed in on the pair and jogged the rest of the way to them.

"Hello~", I greeted. We exchanged smiles and exited the building.

We walked most of the way in silence, everyone exosted from their days. Ayame was the one to break the silence when the figures of Etsuko and Nobuko appeared from behind a corner.

"I'm gonna go now", she said, referring to her shopping trip with the two girls. I nodded and smiled. "Bye!" she said, already heading towards them.

"Bye!" Gina answered and we both watched as she greeted Nobuko by hugging her. Etsuko waved to us with that annoying smug on her face. I forced a smile and waved back, Gina waving as well. Her smile didn't seem as fake as mine, though. I couldn't tell if she actually liked the brunette, leather jacket wearing jack of all trades. I watched expressionless as the three girls walked away from us and I almost ran into a street light.

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><p>Finally back in the dorm room! I threw myself on my bed and stared at the seiling for a while. It's dressed in light blue, just like the walls are. The floor is water-resistant, fake parquet. The room's fairly small, but has just enough room for both me and Ayame. Our spaces are separated by a huge bookshelf with shelves on both sides and on the footboards of our beds are our studying tables. The windows are above our beds. The walls on both of our sides are completely covered in anime drawings and movie posters and the floor barely holds under all the trash and dirty clothes we've created. Huh. I blame most of it on Ayame, since I clean at least once in a while.<p>

I get up in a sitting position and reach for my laptop on the studying table. I take the device lazily from the surface and place it on my bed in front of me, turning it on and checking my social sites, new subscribed videos, etc. After going through the internet for a while I close the browser and start playing Hearthrock (a very nerdy online card game). I've been doing so badly at that game lately, I really should rethink my strategies.

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><p>It was between seven and eight pm when Ayame finally showed up into the dorm room. I moved my glazed gaze from the computer screen to her.<p>

"Welcome back", I said with a smile and reached for my headphones on the studying table. The tired blonde probably wouldn't agree with listening to my game's epic music and other sound effects.

"Glad to be back..." she said half complaining, collapsing on her bed in the right portion of the room. "It took _forever_ to find something she was satisfied with! So many dresses, skirts, jeans and tops! I never wanna see clothes again", she mumbled against the bed and I could hardly tell what she was saying. I plugged in my headphones and placed them on my neck so I would hear the sound, but still be able to listen to Ayame's complaints.

"Must've been awful. You got any food with ya?" I asked, looking at the other girl from the corner of my eye.

"That's all you're thinking about? Guh! No, I don't have any food with me. I ate there", Ayame growled.

"Oh, fuck..." I cursed at the game, but Ayame might have thought it was intended for her. "I don't think I have anything of my own left." I took off the headphones and stood up, maybe a little too quickly since I felt a little dizzy for a second. I shook my head to clear my vision and walked over to the mini fridge between the door and our shared wardrobe. I kneeled down in front of it and checked it's contents: few cans of coke, a half eaten bar of chocolate and a little bit of potato salad with the name "HANA" written on it. I sighed and took out the potato salad, beginning to look for a plastic fork.

"That's all you're gonna eat today?" Ayame asked judgingly, the bed apparently separated from her face again. Where were the forks again? I opened a couple of drawers on my studying table. Not here... not here... haa! The third one, of course! I took out one of the forks and stuck it into the potato salad.

"I might eat the rest of that chocolate", I said casually. It's funny how it annoys her when I threaten to eat her treats.

"You just try", she threatened, eyes narrowed. It would've been intimitading if she wasn't dressed up like a high school girl. Oh, that reminds me, I should've changed out of my uniform a long time ago. I put down the salad before taking a bite of it and walked over to the wardrobe to get a change of clothes. I opened it and went through my compartment. Shorts and a t-shirt, perfect for a lazy day. I closed the wardrobe and walked back over to my bed to change.

"So~, are you gonna eat that chocolate any time soon?" I asked pleadingly while taking off the uniform. I folded it up as nicely as I could and slipped into the clothes I picked a moment ago. Ugh, my hair always gets trapped under the shirt. So annoying. I pulled my long, curly hair out of my shirt and wondered if I should tie it up.

"Maybe... I haven't decided yet", she said, knowing exactly what I was thinking. I always promised to go buy her another one, but I never really did.

"Could you decide? I'm reeaally hungry, you know", I complained with a tilted head and puppy eyes. "Do you have a pompom?"

"Then go buy something, the stores are still open. And no, I don't have a pompom. Why don't you use that ribbon on the right side of your head?" she spoke almost sarcastically. Why sarcasm? Now? Maybe she was just used to the tone.

"Oh, I didn't even think of that", I answered and opened up the cute bow tie. I straightened the black ribbon in my hands and tied my hair together. Sadly I couldn't tie it high, since the ribbon would've given in. I like a ponytail better when it's high.

"You didn't think of going to the store?" she asked and got up, walking over to the wardrobe. She'd already opened up the bow tie on her uniform, so she was changing as well.

"No, I didn't think of the ribbon. The store... uh... it's way too much walking", I declared and carried my neatly folded uniform into the wardrobe, pushing Ayame out of the way. She growled at that.

"You're really, really lazy, you know that? Even lazier than I am", she said while changing into a pair of black sweatpants and a dark blue top. "You even risk getting enough food if you don't have to put any effort into it. You didn't change out of your school uniform until now, either."

"Well, I'd put effort in it if I was hungry enough", I defended and took the box of potato salad in my hands, finally starting to eat it up.

"Mmh, yeah, sure you would. I bet you'd starve to death if I didn't look after you", Ayame said with a colorless tone. I gave her a chuckle.

"No, I love food way too much for that to happen", I said and ate some more of the potato salad in my hands. "You, however, would suffocate under a pile of dirty laundry if I didn't make you clean it up", I replied, eyes cunningly narrowed.

"Uh-you-pfft", Ayame turned her head away, cheeks bright pink. I hit the nail on the head. She really hates cleaning. Ayame sat down on her bed and I sat down on the chair in front of my studying table, putting the last of the potato salad in my mouth in a couple of swift movements of the plastic fork and chewed on it.

"Why were you never like this before?" Ayame asked, turning to look at me again. I raised an eyebrow.

"Whaddya mean 'before'?" I asked without thinking. Wait, you mean...

"On Ente Isla – no, in Heaven", she said. "You were always so... shy, and... well, you're still weird, but like, different weird. You were much more unsure and... Well, I can't explain it in words", she partially stuttered like the words were foreign to her. Well, technically they were. "You're still kinda the same but... you're... different. No, you're definitely different."

I squeezed the plastic fork between my thumb an index finger before putting it down.

"You know I don't wanna talk about Heaven like this, Audiana", I said and met my gaze with hers. I tried to make my eyes as empty as I could and after all this time, it almost came naturally. She knew I was being serious. "That place is nice, but... you should know why we're here now."

"Because you're being a child about your problems?" she asked with an all-knowing tone. That really pisses me off when se does that whether she's right or not.

"Look, you do not know anything about my problems. I didn't want to leave because of said problems either", I hissed. "I have my own reasons for doing what I do, you take care of yours."

"Yeah, your so called reasons include a ridiculous crush disappearing from your life, which he by the way, wasn't a part of to begin with!" Ayame yelled, rising on her feet. Her yelling made me shake a bit since she never does that. I took a deep breath and went through what she'd just said. That... that's what she thinks? Is that what everyone thinks?

"What...? This really does show how ignorant you are of my life, doesn't it? How ignorant everyone is. Listen carefully: don't go yelling on people you know _nothing_ about!" I growled back. Well, we certainly aren't getting along anymore, that's for sure.

"Really? Then why don't you tell me what's going on inside that little head of yours?! If it's so frigging unique and complex, you must want to share it!" she yelled and I'm pretty sure she was yelling from the top of her lungs now.

"You've been bothered by that the whole time we've been here?! That's so stupid! You think I think I'm some self-obsessed moron or a weak child who does stupid things because she doesn't get what she wants?! That's how you see me? You. Must. Be. A. Fucking. Idiot", I said and walked over to the door, putting on my black and purple striped sneakers.

"I'm the idiot for observing your behaviour and coming to conclusions?! You're just a child, really! And where the heck are you going?!" Ayame yelled and followed me over to the door.

"TO THE FUCKING STORE!" I yelled and slammed the door closed between us.

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**There you go! Reviews would be great, if you're up to it! I'll try to post the next chapter this week.**


	3. Chapter 2 - Shaking God's toybox

**[A/N]**

**Hey everyone! Here's the second chapter. It's a flashback chapter... I'm so, so, sorry! *bows down* Unless you like flashbacks of course. They're just a convenient way to tell the story, and better to get it out of the way now.**

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><p><span>Chapter 2 – Shaking God's toybox<span>

I walked down the street with lazy steps and looked around in the surprisingly quiet city evening. There weren't too many cars around and the noises of chaos and sirens came only from afar. I sighed in my thoughts, walking past multi-storey buildings block by block.

"How_ dares _she", I quietly hissed between my teeth. Indeed, how did Ayame dare to even mention Heaven, when we'd agreed not to? How dare she speak of me and my thoughts like she knew any of them? She might outrank me in Heaven, but _she_ was the one who followed _me_ through the portal. She's just as quilty of her own fate!

"Tssk." I felt my hands squeezing into fists and tried pushing the thoughts of Ayame out of my head for now. Ah, and a great timing too, since I apparently just arrived at the convenience store. I tilted my head upwards to look at the glowing sign at the top of the store. Too bad I forgot to pick up my wallet when I left. I don't think anyone could blame me, really, since I just wanted to get away from Ayame as soon as possible.

I walked this far, I could as well go inside and spend more time. I walked through the sliding doors and almost covered my eyes at the brightness of the store's lighting. Where were the cookie shelves again? I began looking around the store.

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><p><em><strong>Then<strong>_

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><p>"What do you think you're doing, Drea? Why can't you accomplish anything?!"<p>

"I don't think you yourself are aware of the strenght you carry, Drenumi."

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><p><em><strong>Now<strong>_

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><p>I felt someone bump into my side and a box of cookies almost slipped from my hands. I took support from the shelf in front of me and turned to look at the one who pushed me.<p>

"Oh, I'm so, so sorry!" a tall man with angelic blond hair and golden eyes said and offered his hand to me. I took it and corrected my posture.

"It's alright", I demanded and rubbed the back of my neck, a bit awkwardly if you ask me. "I should've been more alert." The man smiled.

"Do you by any chance happen to know where the spice rack is nowadays? They've changed the order here quite a bit since I last shopped here", he said. I took a quick look at his shopping basket. It consisted mostly of cut-price products.

"Oh, I think it's the third row from the cash desks", I said while pointing in the mentioned direction.

"Thank you! Who new the world still has some great people in it", he said, almost mumbling the last sentence. I gave him an awkward smile before he left for the spice rack.

I thought he'd never leave. I sighed and turned to look at the cookie shelf again, beginning to notice my growing hunger. The potato salad wasn't enough after all? I placed a hand on my stomach and looked around for cameras. What was I thinking, though? I could never sneak out a box of cookies unnoticed. I turned my gaze toward the floor.

On the floor laid a brown leatherette wallet. I'm sure it wasn't there before, so... the blond guy must've dropped it. I walked over to it, kneeled down and looked up at a security camera staring right at me. I took the wallet in my hands, stood up and headed a bit closer to the spice rack until I found a blind spot from the cameras. I opened up the wallet as silently as I could and checked it's insides. Not much, like I'd expected, but I don't think the guy would notice if I took enough for one box of cookies. I snatched some money from him and closed the wallet.

"Sir!" I half yelled as I walked over to the spice rack. "Sir, you dropped your wallet back there", I continued and offered the lost item to him.

"Oh, you truly are a beatiful person, aren't you?" he said almost teary-eyed as he took the wallet back. I offered him a broken smile and returned to the cookie shelves. My broken smile turned more and more crooked the closer I got to the treats. Luckily none of my friends from Heaven were here to witness my little crime. They would've most likely been horror-struck.

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><p><em><strong>Then<strong>_

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><p>"Drea", a distant voice called my name. But it's so warm... I don't want to leave this place.<p>

"Drea!" the voice was getting stronger. I squeezed myself in a little ball. Why wouldn't it shut up?

"DREA!" the voide screamed into my ear and suddenly the warmth around me disappeared. My eyes opened wide open and my hands wrapped around my upper body. So I was sleeping? Huh.

"Drea! Just get up already, training's starting!" a brown-eyed, curly haired girl in a soldier's outfit and armor yelled at me. I yawned and looked at my cover in her hands.

"Give that back", I ordered and laid myself comfortably against my pillow.

"No, we're leaving now!" she said and pulled me down from the bed. I yelled as I thumped against the stone flooring.

"OWW! Seriously, Sal! Why'd you have to do that?" I yelled and rubbed my left elbow, that hit the ground first.

"We're almost late. Get your clothes on and come outside, where I'll be waiting!" she yelled and marched out of my bedroom. I yawned and stood up. In my opinion Sal is way too much concerned about my life these days. I bet I would've woken up on my own in a couple of minutes...

I changed out of my pink and white night gown and put on my armor. It was light armor and covered only the forearms, legs and shoulders. It needs to be light and give in to make flying possible. The lightness of the armor however, doesn't make it easily breakable. Angels have always been masters in forging sustainable armor.

I walked out of my small, white stone house and Sal was waiting for me at the door like she'd said. There was an annoyed look on her face. What? Speak up, please.

"At least tie your hair", she growled and walked off my flower-covered yard. My house looks more like and exotic garden than a home, since I love growing different plants outside of it. I ran my hand through my curly white and green hair. I need something to tie up my hair... With a small movement of my hand I created a black ribbon that tied my hair up on it's own. I walked through the gate of my garden and over to Sal. She summoned her wings and spread them.

"I'd better not be late because of you again", she threatened and took flight. Great... that arrogant tone again. I spread my wings too and flew after her. I caught up quickly, since I am an excellent flyer.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for us to appear at the training grounds and we arrived on time, too. Our group leader hadn't even arrived yet. I looked around the sand court surrounded by brick-colored metal fences. What was the point of those, anyway? We could just fly over them if we wanted to.<p>

"You're lucky we're on time", Sal said and looked around her as well, through all the people, looking for our friends. It didn't take her long to find the two guys from the side of the court and we walked over to them, hiding our wings as we walked.

"Wow, you're not late for once", a red-headed, pale guy said, his voice almost annoyingly confident as always. I forced a smile at him.

"How's it going?" a guy weirdly tall for an angel spoke. He has chestnut hair and orange eyes and goes by the name 'Phantom', because nobody can see him coming. Like, seriously, his steps are quieter than feathers falling.

"Better once the group leader arrives. I'm itching for some training!" Sal said and shrugged her shoulders.

"Me too. I feel like I'm gonna kick ass today", the redhead, Flamm, said. I simply yawned again. Why is early training even a thing? It's like five o'clock in the morning.

Suddenly every angel on the court started lining up. I knew what that meant. The group leader must've arrived. I waved goodbyes to my friends and found my place on the lines, as did they.

"Good morning everyone", spoke a loud voice from the middle of the courtyard. I saw a young woman with blond, orange-red striped hair, named Audiana. She's our group leader, a fairly powerful angel from the upper ranks. "Today we'll continue the one-on-one battle training from yesterday. Like agreed, no magic, no wings. Find your groups now, I'll be estimating your success from afar."

I found my friends once again. In the start of the training program everyone is ordered in a team defined by the higher-ups. Team members would have strenght on different areas, strenght the teams could use together in a fight. My friends are the team I was ordered in long time ago and we'd ranked up together since then.

"Drea, wanna go against me first?" Flamm asked with a challenging tone.

"Why not", I replied and took my battle stance. He was already shaking his head in disappointment. What is it this time?

"Your stance. It's completely wrong. How're you gonna stay standing if I hit you now?" he spoke judgingly.

"You won't have the time to, since you're gonna hit the ground in a couple of seconds", I growled back playfully, still correcting my position. He knows what he's doing, after all. He gave me a sly smile and took his stance as well.

"Three... two... one... begin!" Sal yelled and in a matter of tenths of a second the first kicks had been layed and dodged. Flamm threw a series of punches towards me and I only barely dodged the last one by doing a backflip and kicking him on the jaw. I landed on my feet and took support from the ground. He was rubbing his jaw. I gave him a smile.

"Well done, but now you're going down", he said and immediately ran towards me. I dodged again, only barely and tried to throw another kick at him. He caught my foot and threw me against the ground. He locked my hands behing my back and sat on my legs. The position hurt, but not too much to bare.

"Aaand... it's done. You did better than usually though, Drea", Sal praised and patted me on the head.

"Yeah. Great... Flemm, please get off me now", I demanded. Flemm chuckled before letting me go and I sat up, rubbing the fronts of my elbows.

"Who wants to go next?" Flemm gave Sal and Phantom a challenging hand motion.

"You asked for it!" Sal challenged and walked over to the redhead, taking her stance. Flemm smiled and took his.

"Three... two... one... begin!" Phantom yelled. I watched from the corner of my eye as Audiana walked past us and stopped to watch the fight between Flemm and Sal, our team's two strongest fighters. I turned to look at them for a moment too. Sal was on Flemm's shoulders, knees squiizing his head. Flemm grabbed her legs, but she proceeded by hitting him in the previously struck jaw. He let go of her knees and she landed on the ground with a backflip, kicking Flemm on the back of his knees to make him fall down. He took support from the ground and when Sal walked confidently closer to him, he suddenly grabbed her from the ankle and pulled her on the ground as well. Then he stood up, grabbed her wrists and pinned her against the metal fence. There was no escape for her.

"You're done, Flemm wins again", Phantom chuckled and walked over to them. Flemm let go of Sal and Sal growled.

"Well, I'll be sure to beat you next round", she threatened, but everyone knew it was useless. While Flemm's strenght lies in one-on-one combat, Sal's lies in magic use. Phantom's strenght's in sneaking around and surprise attacks while mine's in flying. That's how our teams are built.

* * *

><p>After multiple hours of drudging we were finally let off. I gasped for air and stretched every part of my body.<p>

"Haa! I'm so done! I'm gonna go straight back to sleep when I get home", I complained.

"Me too. I didn't expect today to be this hard", Flemm replied and brushed back his short, red hair. I saw from the corner of my eye when Phantom walked over to Sal a couple of meters away from us, stretching as well.

"Hey, umm... would you wanna come over to my house for drinks? I really wanted to try this new juice I bought..." Phantom spoke a little unsure and rubbed the back of his head.

"Huh? Yeah, sure", Sal answered nonchalanty, not even noticing the courage Phan had build just for this one question. It didn't matter though, since a smile spread across his face anyway.

"Cool! Great", was the only thing he could come up with, apparently. I giggled and turned to look at Flemm again.

"Finally", I said in a low volume and he nodded with a smile on his face. We'd seen signs of Phan's crush for a while now, but were afraid he'd never get the strenght to speak to Sal about it. Today was the day, for sure. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go ahead and leave now", I said to all three.

"You are? Well... bye then", Phan said and waved shortly.

"You'd better not be late tomorrow", Sal threatened and stood up. "Well, bye."

"Bye, bye", Flemm waved as I summoned my wings and spread them. I waved to them as I took flight.

* * *

><p>Flying home is indeniably the best part of my day. The way itself isn't that long, but I always take the longest route possible and practise my flying skills. I'm not in a hurry, the sky is clear and the wind brushes soft and cool against my skin.<p>

I spread my arms on both sides and throw myself against the wind. I followed it for a while before closing in on the ground and starting to dodge rocks and hills. Flying's the best fun one could have, in my opinion.

Suddenly I felt a sudden push of air on my right side and it wavered my flight pattern. I soon regained my position and turned to look in the direction of the sudden disturbance. It was another angel, about fifteen meters away, flying at the same speed as I. Impressive, I must say. But... what's that? Is he giving me challenging gestures with his hand...?

I raised a brow, but I don't think he could see such a small gesture at this speed. I didn't care however. He stopped making the gestures with his hands and I thought he'd given up. I was wrong. He flew a few meters closer to me, making me dodge. If he'd ran into me, we'd both be on the ground soon. What and idiot! After that it appeared he began laughing and flew a bit higher, speeding up way ahead.

I looked in the way he'd flew. That attitude made me feel weird. Weird, like... competitive. That's a feeling I'm not so familiar with. However, right now I needed to catch up on him, no, I needed to beat him. Really badly. I gritted my teeth together and sped up, flying after him.

It took me some time to locate the other angel, but once I did, I couldn't be happier. I saw him farther ahead, on the right. I flew a bit closer and he apparently saw me coming, since he quickly sped up in farther ahead. Not this time. I sped up immediately, staying firmly on his tail. He looked back at me and soon after changed his direction. He headed up, towards a group of clouds. I followed him, though confused. Wouldn't leading me between giant rocks or in a forest make me fall easier? I mean, that's what I think he's trying to do, at least.

I flew towards the clouds and watched as he penetrated them in a weird flying position. He looked like a speeding bullet to me. I raised a brow and flew into the cloud... and suddenly I understood his position. The clouds are made of water. I felt as my wings got wetter and wetter and flying kept getting harder. I couldn't see anything, either, so I just kept heading up. It didn't take long for me to reach the top of the cloud and see him flying calmly in circles on top of it. I growled.

The guy's wings seemed almost perfectly dry and he was laughing at me for my obvious failure. I pursed my lips in annoyment and used my magic to get rid of the water making my wings heavier. I collected it all in one bubble on my hand and threw it right at him. He barely dodged it, since he apparently wasn't expecting for a hostile act like that. He's laughing stopped for a moment and he just stared at me. I stared back.

"Oy, you wanna come down with me?" he yelled and pointed towards the ground. I gritted my teeth together. I have to admit this guy makes me really curious. I nodded, hoping he would see it. When he didn't reply immediately, I spoke:

"Sure!"

"Cool, see you there!" he yelled and headed through the clouds and towards the ground. I flew there just for a second before leaving. The clouds are really pretty from this angle. They look like cotton. And the sunlight reclefted beautifully from them. I returned my attention to the matter at hand and headed for the ground, this time around the clouds.

* * *

><p>When I found the guy I'd flew with only minutes ago, he was sitting in the middle of a flower field on a surprisingly high rock. There was a smile on his face when I landed between the flowers and walked over to him, angel wings still out. Now I could see him properly. Purple hair and eyes, pale skin, white and gold jacket and a golden laurel on his head. Didn't only the most powerful angels wear those, or was I misinformed?<p>

"That was fun", the guy spoke. I just stood there and looked at him. I... I guess it was. A small, still doubting smile spread across my face.

"You almost killed me there", I spoke, oddly enough still smiling.

"Hmm? Yeah, I guess I did", the guy chuckled. "Who are you, girl?"

"A soldier in the lower ranks of the army, the flier of my team, Drenumi." I introdused myself properly, since he appeared to be a higher up. I brushed back my messed up hair and decided it was better to just open it up. The ponytail was history by now.

"Hmm? Really? A low-ranking soldier managed to keep up with me. That's new", he said and leaned his cheek against his right hand. "I'm Lucifer by the way." Wait. What? Lucifer? As in... _the_ Lucifer? The most powerful angel in all of Heaven? No. No, it couldn't be. This has to be a dream. Maybe Sal never actually woke me up in the morning and I've slept over training.

"Huh...? For real?" was everything I could come up with to say. I looked at him again. I think I've seen him before – this has to be the same guy. This is no dream after all, is it?

"Is it so hard to believe?" he chuckled and changed his position on the rock. I just stared at him with a stupid expression on my face. "You have great potential, rookie", he spoke and the words seemed to return me on the ground.

"What? Uh... I don't think so, fliers don't do so well in the long run... It's the magic users who... well, you know", I stuttered and ran my left hand nervously through my hair. He looked at me like one would in my opinion look at a mentally disabled person.

"You know what wings use to work, right?" he asked with an amused expression. My stupidity must've been like a good treat for him.

"Huh? Eh..." I kept on stuttering. This situation I was in still felt surreal.

"Magic", he continued his sentence as if he never expected me to answer. "I don't think you yourself are aware of the strenght you carry, Drenumi." I completely froze, looking at him while he spread his wings. "Well, I guess I'll have to be going now. See ya", he casually said before flying off. I stared in the direction he'd flew like he wasn't even real to begin with and I was trying to grasp the final image of him, a broken off piece of my memories.

* * *

><p>Only a couple of weeks after I met Lucifer everything started to fall into chaos. The dark lord began taking over Ente Isla and Lucifer left Heaven to side with him. Almost all the angels were enraged, some of them terrified of the change, the rest of them reminding that we still have God on our side. People began changing when the events proceeded, me and my friends included.<p>

Our training in the army started getting more and more intense every single class. It didn't take long for me to start skipping classes and it made my team, especially Sal, furious. She came to my house every so often only to yell at me, sometimes even getting violent.

"What do you think you're doing, Drea? Why can't you accomplish anything?!" she yelled one time when taking down my garden piece by piece, tears in her eyes. "Everything is in chaos, world is falling into darkness, and you're sleeping! SLEEPING! What about your duties as a soldier of Heaven's army?!" she yelled. I just stood there, looking at the chaos she herself had caused. It didn't take long for them to give up on me and move on. They said it was for until I became rational again that they took in another flier. I silently agreed.

The more I skipped class, the more I stayed home, the more I became afraid. Afraid of the outside world, the chaos, the people, and finally... my own thoughts. I was afraid, so afraid I could barely move. The only thing that kept me in one piece were Lucifers words: "I don't think you yourself are aware of the strenght you carry." I wanted to believe it, but coming from someone like him, someone who'd betrayed Heaven, I was really grasping at straws on what to believe in.

And then, I stopped believing. I let go of everything, every consept of good and bad, every consept of reality. Everything became crystal clear in my mind. Everyone's selfish. Everyone wants what's best for them. No one's there for you expect yourself. I got bored of the world around me. I knew I should chase something I want now that I understood it, but it was too late. I don't want anything anymore. I'm just an empty shell waiting for something to happen. Screaming inside my mind, please, give me something. Anything at all.

It was around that time that I also realized it was time to move on. Too cowardly for death and too selfish for battle, I decided it was time to leave this place, this Heaven, for it's Heaven no more.

I found a place with the most potential for performing a spell for a portal through time and space, laughing at the idea of me even being able to create one. And much to my surprise, when I tried it... my magic was indeed strong enough. I never thought it would be and soon I realized it wasn't. There was something else. Another angel, Audiana. She was helping me create the portal.

"Take me with you", she said. "We don't have to see each other on the other side. We don't have to think of this place ever again", she continued with empty eyes. I looked back at her, confused. After some time I nodded and we both entered the portal.

* * *

><p>On the other side of the portal a strange world awaited us. We felt our magic slipping away piece by piece and the strange rules of this world forced us to team up. We managed through together, becoming friends, even, never mentioning a word about our pasts. We met so many new people, learned of many new things and places (like the internet), that I began feeling alive once more.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Now<strong>_

* * *

><p>I'd walked all the way over to the dormitories while thinking about the past. I hadn't even noticed I'd gotten there and had completely forgotten what I was doing outside, anyway. Then it all came back to me, piece by piece. Ayame... blonde guy... cookies. Right. I shook my head and entered the dormitory, heading over to our dorm room.<p>

I got to the room quickly, entering it as silently as I could. I looked inside and saw Ayame soundly asleep. Good. Now I wouldn't have to deal with her nagging. I entered the room, took off my shoes and sat down on my bed, eating the chocolate chip cookies one by one. Yummy, indeed.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]**

**Soo, that happened. Anyways, the next chapter will be up next week! And don't worry, the fanfiction part will pick up then, good. I have it planned out, I'll just have to write it down. Hope you liked this chapter, and again, reviews would be just awesome!**


	4. Chapter 3 - Games bring people together

**[A/N]**

**Aaaand... here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 3 – Games bring people together<span>

It was about eight o'clock when I woke up from my bed, still dressed in yesterday's clothes and hugging a half empty box of cookies against my chest. I blinked my dark green eyes for a second, gathering my thoughts, sitting up and yawning. I looked around in the messy dorm room, looking for Ayame. She wasn't there anymore. Her classes on Thursdays start earlier than mine, since she has biology.

I got up reluctantly and stretched my back and arms. I could hear as my vertebras clicked in place. Ahh, what a great feeling! I opened up the messy ponytail my hair was in and placed the black ribbon on my desk. My body was basicly screaming for a shower, so I got a towel from the closet and dragged myself toward the floor's bathroom.

* * *

><p>After the refreshing experience I walked lazily back to the dorm room, only a blue dolphin towel around me, carrying my dirty clothes in my hands. I passed by a couple of students heading for their classes, all girls, of course. I didn't pay much attention to the people passing by, partly because my thoughts were still wondering around the fight I had with Ayame.<p>

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and automatically turned around and hopped back, taking my battle stance from the days of being a soldier. The clothes in my hands had suddenly spread all over the floor. I just stood there, staring intensly in the direction I was 'attacked' from. Staring back at me with a weird look on her face stood Etsuko. She was wearing her school uniform and her face was full of thick make up, as usual.

"Umm... what are you doing?" she asked me half demanding, half scared. She probably hadn't expected my jumpy reaction. I cleared my throat and stood up normally, gathering up my clothes from the floor.

"Uh... eh... nothing. What'd you scare me for?" I asked, stuttering at first.

"You seemed a bit out of it. You didn't even notice me passing by", she said, tilting her head to the side, fingertips beginning to play with her uniform skirt's hem. Her other hand was around her school bag's strap.

"Ah, I was just lost in thought", I giggled, brushing back my still dank hair. I got up from the floor and pressed the pile of clothes against my stomach. She raised an eyebrow. "I... I just had a little fight with Ayame yesterday. It's alright, we'll get throught it, it's nothing too serious", I lied with a fake smile on my lips. I wasn't only annoyed by the topic, but simply that girl's presence was enough to make me tick.

"Oh. Well, don't forget we're going game shopping today. You have such a reckless mind, after all", she said, moving both of her hands on the strap. There she goes again, changing the subject to whatever she likes, trying to bring down my confidence as she did. I growled inside.

"I remember", I simply said. If I would've continued the sentence anymore, it would've undoubtedly turned into a one huge "fuck you" to her face.

"Well, good. I'll meet you after school in the main lobby, got it?" she asked, trying to sound cheery. In my ears it just sounded annoyingly demanding.

"Yeah, I'll be there when my classes are done", I said, barely maintaining my smile. Please, leave before I rip out your spleen and feed it to low rate demons.

"Good, I'll be waiting!" she said before waving and disappearing somewhere in the hallways. I let out a relieved sigh and looked around me to find my direction. I headed back to the dorm room with a frown. This morning was ruined quickly.

* * *

><p>The classes went by surprisingly fast, maybe because I'm not particularly excited for going shopping with Etsuko. She always wants everyone else to give her opinions, acting all vulnerable and then bashes everyone else's choices. This time it's shopping games, so she's most likely going to brag with her experteese on the subject the whole time. I wish I had earplugs to pack with me.<p>

My music class ended a couple of minutes early, so I'm excited for being in the lobby before Etsuko. I'm gonna show her how "reckless" my mind is. It's funny, because usually I don't care about proving myself, but Etsuko somehow knows exactly which strings to pull. It doesn't matter who you are, what sex you are or how old you are, Etsuko has everyone wrapped around her finger.

I arrived in the lobby, checking the time on my phone as I did. There were many students there, some of them leaving through the main doors. Luckily Etsuko was nowhere to be seen and it made me grin almost evilly. "I beat her" was the only thing running through my head. I walked over to a wall and leaned my back lazily against it, playing a game on my lilac flip phone.

* * *

><p>I'd been standing in the lobby for a while now, I was sure of it, since I'd progressed in the game by five levels. I flipped my phone closed and put it in my bag, looking around me. There were only a couple of students in the lobby besides me: a couple making out in the shadow of the lockers and a cute readhead apparently also waiting for her friends, since she kept checking her phone. Could she slipped past me while I was stil playing? No, she would've contacted me already, asking why I was late.<p>

After waiting for Etsuko for a little while longer I grew impatient. Had something happened? Did she have to go to the principal's office or something? Why wasn't she trying to contact me? I shook my head and pushed myself off the wall, looking around me. I still couldn't see her. Which class did she have before she got off, again? After pondering for a moment I began heading for the textile class.

The hallways are annoyingly long, so it took several minutes for me to reach the textile class even when I was almost running. As I got to the right hallway, the one where the handicraft classes are located, I though I heard someone giggle. It felt a bit creepy, since the school was almost empty at this point. I hesitated a moment before continuing my walking.

When I was halfway to the classroom, I heard another giggle, this time a bit longer, louder and much more humanlike. Could it be that... I walked all the way over to the textile class, pushing the already half open door all the way open. My jaw almost dropped at the sight.

Etsuko, three other students and the textile teacher, a middle-aged woman with glittering blue eyes, had formed a little chatting circle in the middle of the classroom. The three other students were all sitting around a large worktable, the teacher was standing there and chatting with them cheerily and Etsuko was sitting on the table, seemingly very into the current conversation. I felt as my frown from the morning formed once again on my face.

"Etsuko-san!" I yelled from the door, squeezing the strap of my schoolbag with my other hand. She turned to look at me with a confused expression.

"Huh? Who... oh. Oh, Hana-san! Oh, I'm sorry, I totally forgot about you", she said, relaxed.

"What?! You told me not to be late yourself, Etsuko-san! What about the sale?" I asked, holding back my yelling. I tried to keep my tone and expression as neutral as I could, but my annoyance managed to shine through.

"Oh, it's really late! We got a bit too into the conversation. Kids, it's time for you to leave", the teacher said, clearly a bit ashamed of herself for 'keeping' the students there, even though I'm sure it was Etsuko's doing. The circle broke as everyone exited the classroom, Etsuko included. The other students left and so did the teacher after locking the classroom door.

"I thought you said the good stuff is gonna get taken if we don't get there early", I said with an annoyed undertone. She simply smiled at me.

"Yeah, we'll have to hurry. It's just, I couldn't be rude and just leave, ya'know?" she said, walking towards the main lobby. I followed her after recovering from the mini-shock she gave me.

"What...?" I said, slowly and almost muttering. I did't really want to hear another word, but my annoyance and curiosity were killing me.

"Walk a little faster, would'ya?" she asked, picking up her pace as well. I did as she said, pursing my lips together. So _now_ she's in a hurry?

* * *

><p>We almost ran to the game store and when we got there, many people were already inside. The store isn't that big, so it looked very tightly packed inside. I hate places like this.<p>

"Oh, shit. We're a bit late, it seems", she said with an innocent tone. I was ready to explode, but held my tongue with all my might. We entered the store with lifeless looks, but once we were inside, Etsuko's face lit up like a candle. "Haa, it seems the best one's aren't all gone!" she yelled, heading over to one of the shelves, almost pushing people down as she went. The store was indeed tightly packed and also hot. Very, very hot. Sweat was almost dripping from my forehead even though the airconditioning seemed to be working properly. I watched lazily as Etsuko went through some first-person shooter games, eyes glittering.

I wiped my forehead even though I wasn't sweating yet and tried to find a spot with less people. There was no luck, since almost every game was on sale and they were placed in many different places. How annoying. I like it better when all people are manageably packed in one place.

As I wondered around the store I noticed I had walked between a couple of shelves with only few people. I looked at the games. All role-playing or adventure games, apparently. I like those more than the popular "Yell of Onus"-games. In my opinion there isn't really that much fun in just shooting people, and I hear the community is terrible as well. It gets boring too fast.

I went through the games with lazy eyes, reaching my hand toward an interesting game that passed by once in a while. Suddenly I noticed something from the corner of my eye, immediately walking over to it. All the older extension packs to "Realm of Warship" are half off? I never bothered to even think about going further than the free version, but they're so cheap now... I bit my lower lip.

After holding myself back for as long as I could, I finally gave in to my desire and grabbed a hold of the first extension pack. But just as I grabbed hold of it, I saw another hand grabbing the exact same copy.

"Oh, sorry, you can have that one", said a young male with purple hair and let go of the game, taking another copy. I simply stared at him as he checked out the game in his hands with a neutral expression. A short, young guy with a purple hair and matching eyes, wearing a loose T-shirt and light blue jeans. I couldn't get a word out of my mouth. He must've noticed my stare and moved his gaze to me, apparently annoyed.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You're..." I sort of stuttered, trying to get the words out of my mouth. He raised a brow. "You're... you're Lucifer", I said, feeling as my body began to tremble as those words became real.

For the longest time the both of us could do nothing but stare at eachother, his face turning from annoyed to just pure shock. I bet my face was exactly the same. I know what I said is true now, even though I'd been doubtful just moments ago. The longer we stared at eachother, the more I knew.

Since we obviously couldn't stand there forever, I tried my best to snap out of it and figure out something to say.

"Umm..." I began, but suddenly Lucifer grabbed my arm.

"Let's talk outside. Now", he said, pulling me towards the door. I didn't resist, but a partly terrified look never left my face. I felt my heart pounding in my chest as we pushed through the people and exited through the door, now standing face to face at the corner of the store. Lucifer let go of my arm and I backed off a couple of steps.

"Umm... I-"

"You're from Ente Isla, aren't you?" he asked with a sharp tone and narrowed his eyes. It didn't seem that he remembered me, but then again, why would he?

"Y-yes. Well, no. I'm... I'm actually an angel", I managed to stutter out. This feels so unreal. Just like we first met, except this time things are far more complicated. I think that goes without saying.

"You're from Heaven, huh? You must be a semi-low rank, since I don't know you. Or have you only gotten a position there?" he asked, keeping his sharp tone.

"No, I'm not that strong, to be honest..." I said. Every word I said brought me back a little more. I shook my head to shake the uncomfortable feeling of surrealness. I need to focus.

"Then you're definitely not here to chase after Maou or Emilia... maybe you were sent as a spy from Heaven. No, but then you probably wouldn't have been so surprised seeing me here", he mostly mumbled to himself, leaning his chin against his hand. I shook my head once more, returning completely to reality now.

"I'm... I wasn't sent here, I came of my own will", I stated and his attention moved back from his thoughts to me. He was just about to speak when a voice was heard from behind his back.

"Hey, you over there!" we turned our heads to look at the speaker. "Yes, you two! You 'forgot' to pay for your games!" one of the store's cashieers yelled as he ran to us with a pissed off look on his face. We automatically backed off a bit when he got to us, since he's obivously taller than us and looks like he's built, too.

"Uh, em, I'm sorry! I didn't realize!" I yelled in panic and looked at the extension pack in my hand. Lucifer looked at his, too, and we both handed the games back to him. He still didn't look happy, not at all. My heart began pounding again. I wasn't usually caught over stuff like this, even if it wasn't intentional.

"You guys are gonna have to come back with me..." he began, mostly looking at me. When he turned to look at Lucifer, however, he seemed to have noticed something. He just kept looking at his face for a second. I couldn't see Lucifer's expression since I was standing behind him, but his fingers suddenly seemed to twitch. Something's definitely going on. "Aren't you..." the man began, suddenly trying to grab Lucifer from the wrist. He dodged the sudden movement however, hopping back and bumping into me. We both almost fell, but managed to regain our balance.

"Run!" he suddenly yelled at me as the cashieer tried to grab him once more.

"What's-"

"Come back here, asshole!" the man yelled, running after the fleeing Lucifer. Before he passed me, though, he turned his gaze at me and I flinched. He reached his arm toward me and I automatically grabbed it, moving to the side and trying to kick the backs of his knees. Even though he's very built, he doesn't seem to have that much experience in close combat and the move surprised him, bringing him down to the ground.

I let go of the guy's arm, jumped over him and ran after Lucifer as fast as I could, my skirt fluttering in the wind. I tried to hold it down with one hand as I ran.

* * *

><p>After running for a few blocks I thought I saw purple hair flashing in one of the alleys. I headed after it without a second thought, making sure the guy from the store wasn't after me. Hopefully the tarmac didn't treat him too badly.<p>

After running behind a corner in the ally, I actually did find Lucifer there. He was leaning a hand against a wall and taking deep breaths. He doesn't seem too used to running nowadays, which I'd find a little amusing, if I wasn't somewhat out of breath as well. Maybe I shouldn't have eaten cookies and potato salad for dinner yesterday. Maybe I should've been working out or something for an occurance like this... but I needed to get to a higher rank in Hearthrock. Damn this world and it's lovely temptations!

"Oy. Anybody home?" the purple-headed guy spoke, tapping his phalanx against my forehead. I jumped back and placed a hand over my forehead, probably blushing a bit. Was I spacing out?

"Huh? I- uhm, eh..." I stuttered awkwardly.

"You really can't form one proper sentence", Lucifer said with a mocking tone.

"Wha-, shut up!" I yelled. Not being able to speak really isn't like me. Maybe the whole situation has confused me more than I thought. "What was that about, anyway?! Why was he being so aggressive over a couple of games?"

"How should I say this... awh, fuck it. Me and Olba Meyer kinda robbed places to gather magic when we first got here", he said, looking away a bit awkwardly. I blinked in confusion.

"What?!" I yelled. Olba Meyer... I've heard of him. He is... or maybe was part of the Hero's army against the Demon Lord. A priest, I think. "Isn't Olba on the Hero's side anymore?! How did you gather magic from robbing people?! Did you end up in the news, is that how that guy knew you?! Why are you out in public if the police are after you?!" I yelled the questions like it was one long sentence.

"Be quiet!" Lucifer hissed and took a threatening step closer to me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "You don't know anything about anything, do you? How long have you been living here?" he sighed and backed away from me.

"Well... I left Heaven with another angel during the war", I replied. How much have I missed, indeed? My curiosity grew immensely. "Why are you out in public?!" I repeated the most burning question on my mind.

"Because of the sale of course", he simply replied. That reasoning didn't satisfy me at all. "Another angel? So there's two of you?" he asked. I nodded. "It's better to explain things to the both of you at the same time, then. I don't wanna repeat myself... no, wait. I don't want to be the one explaining it all to you, either."

"You're not gonna explain? So who is?" I asked. If I was a dog, I'd be wagging my tail to no end right now. I'm going to burst with curiosity. The questions simply couldn't stop spilling from my mouth. "And who risks their freedom for a couple of games?!"

"Listen, do you know the MgRonald's nearby?" He asked. I nodded again, a confused look on my face. "Go there tomorrow at..." I watched as his gaze wondered down from my face. I soon realized he was eyeing my school uniform. "...four o'clock. You've gotten out of school by that time, right?" he asked, moving his gaze back to my face. What an uninteresting meeting place.

"You're not gonna be there, then? Should I bring Ayame?" I asked. "Who should we talk to?"

"I'll send him to you. And yeah, take your friend with ya", he said. "I have to go back before anyone finds me", he continued and already began walking, keeping an eye on the street. I walked after him. "Oh, what's your name? Mine here is Hanzo Urushihara, so just call me that in public, alright?"

"Here I'm Hana Wakahisa", I said without revealing my actual name. I don't know if it even matters right now, so I didn't bother. Lucifer nodded.

"I'll send him to talk to ya. Bye", he said nonchalantly, like he didn't care one bit. A little different from before. Maybe he was in as big of a shock as I was.

"Bye..." I replied long after he'd disappeared behind a corner.

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**I'm sorry about the shortnessof this one! I'll try to make them longer in the future. It just felt like a good place to stop writing. Now I'm kinda confused and not completely sure what I should write next (writer's block kinda), but I'll definitely post a new chapter next Monday! You can give me suggestions too, if you want to. :) Hoped you liked this chapter and reviews would be great!**


	5. Chapter 4 - Expectations never hold

**[A/N]**

**TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! *yay* I turned seventeen, what a useless age! Lol. Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

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><p><span>Chapter 4 – Expectations never hold<span>

I walked back to our dormitory with a blank look on my face. This was real, right? Right...? Lucifer being in Tokyo isn't just something I'm making up in my head, is it? I shook my head. No, this is definitely the reality and I have to accept it and make due with it. I can't lose control now.

I was a little worried, since a fight I'd been avoiding since yesterday night was awaiting me behind a certain dark brown door with the number plate "186" on it.

It didn't take me long to arrive to the dormitories and I hurried through the doors and hallways all the way to our room. I knew the classes for the day were over and Ayame would most likely be waiting for me to come, having planned out the first attack against me. I stood behind the door and tried to prepare myself for what was to come, brushing away all the emotions that the fallen angel had brought back to my surprisingly fragile mind. I opened the door, an image of our messy dorm room filling my view, and weaved throught the dirty clothes and trash on the floor with an emotionless expression on my face.

"I thought you wouldn't be back yet", Ayame said pretty nonchalantly and put down a history book she'd apparently been reading, sitting up on her bed. I myself find history boring and haven't really ever even probably eyed a book about it. I kind of wonder how Ayame finds so much joy in it.

"Me neither", I simply answered, walking over to the closet and opening it, trying to find a change of clothes. I wonder how I should start... well, Ayame will probably take the lead anyway.

"About yesterday..." Luckily I was right and didn't have to do too much brainwork. "I shouldn't have brought up the subject... but I still stand behind what I said", she said and I turned to look at her, nicely folded black top, striped knee socks and a denim skirt in my hands. "I still blame you for our situation." I growled silently and turned to look away. Really? You blame _me_?

"And why is that, miss Perfect? You think you're a godly creature who never makes mistakes, because your Father says you're a special one?" I said clenching my teeth together at first, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I watched with odd satisfaction as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"No..." she began, her tone unintentionally messaging that she was swallowing her rage the best she could. "I blame you, because without you I'd never even gotten the idea to leave... the idea or the chance." I raised a brow and began taking off my school uniform, folding it up on my bed as I did. "When you began skipping classes... some others took after you and the already raising chaos continued, stronger than ever. The atmosphere was tense and many teams had problems performing without their usual members. That of course made me and many other group leaders stressed out, hardening the training constantly... the teams couldn't keep up and were sure to be dead in battle in a matter of minutes, if it continued like that..."

"Well, if I hadn't been the first one, someone else would've", I said while putting on the last piece of my outfit, the striped knee socks. "The chaos was running pretty rampantly, after all." I brushed back my hair in an almost flirty manner and studied my appearance from the front camera of my phone, trying to look as passive and cold as I could. It probably goes without mentioning that I don't enjoy my current situation.

"But you _were_ the first one! And nothing can change that!" Ayame stood up and squeezed her hands into fists. "Because of you and all that happened, I lost control over myself... I couldn't take it all anymore, especially after I heard my group would be joining in the battle against Satan!" she yelled. I stopped everything I was doing, almost dropping the phone from my hand, only barely cathing it from mid-air. Wait, what?! My friends went into battle...? I didn't think they'd be taking such low-level soldiers to war. "I found you by chance when I was flying around... I sensed someone with great magic power and I knew right away that it was my only chance to get away from it all... And as the idiot I am, I took it", Ayame said almost tearing up and moved her gaze to the floor. "I left everyone... to fight a war they weren't ready for..."

I could hardly manage to breathe normally. I simply stared at my phone's screen, the reflection of my frozen face. It didn't take long for me to notice the phone was shaking, no, my hands were shaking. I was shaking. They... went into battle? I mean, I should've guessed it... I heard the war against Satan's army was a hard one. Villages burned, soldiers killed... but was it really so bad they had to take in soldiers still in training? No! I don't want to think about this. I don't want to think about what might have happened. I shook my head and turned to look at Ayame, who had turned away from me, her arms apparently crossed in front of her chest-area.

"Because of me, you say?" I asked with an annoyed tone. Ayame gave me a dangerous look from the corner of her eye. "Look, I know I have my faults, but we both know you're only using me as a guilt-releaser. I don't really care about it that much as long as you keep your mouth shut about it, but don't come giving me your absurd, stupid theories about your "condition" so you'd get an "okay" from me. I'm not gonna give you an excuse to feel like the good guy", I said with an offensive tone and narrowed my eyes to get the point across. I knew she was listening, even though she didn't reply or even look at me. I could feel it in her aura.

I sat down on my bed, sighing. Some people are way too stubborn to deal with... I let my body relax a bit and fell on my back, my arms thrown lazily over my head and partly on top of the school uniform folded on my bed. I heard slow footsteps and a soft thump when Ayame walked over to her own bed, sitting down. I stared at the sealing for a moment.

"Fine..." I heard Ayame speak between her teeth and turned my face towards her side of the room. A high bookcase blocked my view of her from this angle, but I don't need to see her face to know how frustrated she is. That "fine" meant that she admitted my words were right and it almost made me smirk. She usually doesn't admit it at all when she's been wrong, but this was probably, no, for sure something important to her and she wanted to be honest to herself.

"I'm glad we agree", I said as annoyingly as I could to get out of the somewhat awkward conversation. At least for me this was very uncomfortable topic to be on, since I don't handle _feelings_ so well, not mine and not others' either. Ayame hissed at me, but didn't use her energy in anything bigger after that. I chuckled to myself, moving my gaze back to the sealing and following the multiple cracks in it's paintjob to numb my brain for now. I don't even want to be aware of the other angel's precence right now, if I don't have to. I don't want her to remind me of Heaven, my friends, the war, the fallen archangel-

Wait! That's right, I had something to tell Ayame! I bounced up into a sitting position, the look in my eyes giving out my sudden realization. Ayame looked at me lazily, raising her head from her palms.

"I forgot to tell you!" I half-yelled and Ayame raised both of her brows in curiosity. "I... I met someone at the game store today... someone we both know- eh, knew. Well, kinda..." Ayame's hands slowly dropped from even near her face and her posture got better as she began to pay better attention to my words, like she saw something in my being she hadn't seen in a long time. At least that's what my look would be like in that particular situation. "It was... uh, it was Lucifer." I watched Ayame as she suddenly froze, her pupils shrinking to tiny little dots. I just stared at her, waiting for her to snap out of it. I could almost hear the shocked, bitter thoughts running through her head at that moment.

"Lucifer...?" her voice was shaking, but her expression still stayed the same. I nodded and she turned to look at the floor. "Are you... sure?" she looked at me from the corner of her eye and I nodded again, a bit afraid to say another word. I didn't expect her to be as shocked as she was, but I think I should've. "But... but how? And why?" Ayame turned her silvery eyes from the floor to my green ones.

"He told me he'd send someone to explain everything to us... we're supposed to meet him tomorrow at McRonald's", I said as casually as I could, trying not to make the situation too bad.

"Y-you spoke with him?! With Lucifer?! Huuh..." Ayame leaned towards my side of the room and I winced back even though she was meters apart from me. "What... what was he like? Was he... demonic or something? Wait, more importantly, why did you agree to anything with him?! He's a demon now, ya'know! He could be tricking us or something!"

"Well, I had no choice! If he and his friends are here it could cause trouble for us! We need to find out more about them, like, how many there are, who they are and what they're doing here. Don't you agree?" I yelled, the slight panic in my voice probably showing a little more than I'd allow. It probably sounded somewhat comedic, since Ayame seemed to be holding back a snicker.

"At least they probably don't have their magic powers either... probably", Ayame said as she dressed her face into the expression she always wore when thinking – bored-looking eyes and puckered up lips, usually staring into one single place for a long time period.

I sighed. It's good that Ayame took the situation this well, since inside I was in a full panic. I was afraid of everything that awaited us tomorrow, all the truths, lies and past events that would be no doubt popping back into my head all day long. I just wish there was a way for me to run this time, too, but I also fear that it's asking a bit too much.

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><p>The next school day seemed to go by slower than the previous ones, which I was both grateful and terrified for. Horrible thoughts of the possible outcomes of the day constantly kept running through my head and it felt like I had way too much time for them, but on the other hand I didn't have to face any of them before school was over.<p>

Sadly at some point the school bell had to ring and soon after that me and Ayame were already heading towards the agreed meeting place. This was surely one of the only times I was genuinely sad that school had ended and it made me have weird conflicts within me.

The way from Sasahaki North to MgRonald's isn't that long and we managed to arrive there at 16:12. A little late, but I'm sure that our contact understands. Wait, I forgot, he's most likely a demon, so... he probably doesn't understand after all. Well, fuck.

We walked inside the MgRonald's, looking around the tables in the hopes of finding the guy we were supposed to meet as soon as possible. There weren't many people on any of the tables and none of them looked that suspicious to me.

"You see him?" Ayame asked. I shook my head as a response.

"I don't think so. He might be running late, so... let's order something for now", I said and headed for the counter. The familiar black-haired, cute guy that Gina so much adored was standing behind it, but I walked over to the cute red-headed girl who was working next to him, since I recognized her face from school. Ayame gave her order to the guy.

"Welcome to MgRonald's! What will it be?" she asked cheerily, ready to type in my order. I gave her a small smile, already digging out my wallet from my school bag.

"A large coke, please", I said and she typed something in the cash register.

"That would be 100 yen, please", she said. I dug out the money and handed it to her and she went to grab my drink. She filled a 0,5l cardboard mug full of the black liquid and handed it to me with the receipt. "Enjoy!"

"Thanks..." I stopped for a while before continuing. "Sorry to bother you while working, but you're Chiho Sasaki, right?" I asked. I usually wasn't the friendly nor talkative type, but she might know something about our contact, if he'd like, left a message to us or something. It was a little far-fetched, but worth a try.

"Yeah, I am. I can see you're from Sasahaki North, too", she answered, looking around in the nearly empty fast-food place. It was pretty clear any customers wouldn't be bothering her for a while, so I continued talking.

"Yeah, I'm a third year student Hana Wakahisa", I introduced myself as politely as I could, smiling and all, and then continued with my actual business. "Have you by any chance seen-"

"So you're Wakahisa-san?" spoke a voice from my right. I turned my head towards the voice, eyes widening just a bit. The one who spoke was the black-haired employee-guy. "I'm Sadao Maou. Urushihara told me you'd be coming here today – he told me you'd be easy to recognize, and I think I get it now." Wait... that guy's a demon?! I couldn't catch Ayame's expression in my line of sight, but I bet she's as shocked as I am.

"Huh?! You-you're-!" I couldn't even finish my own sentence. Not this again...!

"I don't think it'd be appropriate to talk during my work shift, so I'd appreciate if you two would wait until five. That's when I get off", he said with an awkward smile and apologetic tone, obviously sorry he couldn't have decided on the time himself.

"Maou-san? What's going on? You know these girls?" Chiho Sasaki asked the guy who'd introduced himself as Sadao Maou, an upset undertone in her voice.

"Uh, I'll explain it to you later, Chii-chan", Maou spoke to the cute little redhead and then moved his attention back to us. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

"No problem, we'll wait – we have lots of homework to finish anyway", Ayame spoke politely. This was the first time I took a glance at her since we ordered and she seemed surprisingly calm and collected. It made me raise a brow, even though not that noticeably. "Come, Hana-chan", she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to our corner table. I sat on the window side and she sat across me, digging out her school books and beginning to write things down in one of her notebooks.

"Who would've thought that... that guy... has some connection with Lucifer", I whispered to Ayame and took out my books as well, looking for an easy assignment to start with and taking a sip of my coke as I did. I looked over at Ayame's side and saw she'd ordered herself the same thing, except in medium size.

"Looks can betray you", she simply said, without even moving her eyes from the homework she was working on. I pursed my lips a bit for the undeniably boring answer, but sucked it up and began doing my work as well.

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><p>Fifty-seven minutes passed quickly doing homework and in that time both me and Ayame had finished the easiest assignments and our drinks, too. I didn't usually do my homework properly, if at all, so the teachers should be pleased with my effort today. To be completely honest, it was a good way to keep my thoughts together before chatting with Maou, and I have the feeling it was the same for Ayame.<p>

"Sorry to keep you waiting", the raven-haired guy spoke when he appeared to our table, standing next to it and looking at us with those beautifully red eyes. He had changed his usual MgRonald's employee uniform into a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans and didn't look like himself in my eyes – I always identified his character with that "dashing"-red outfit. Notice the sarcasm. "Can I sit here?" he asked for a place next to Ayame and she immediately made room for him. He sat down next to her on the sofa, keeping a respectful distance.

"So, Sadao Maou... you're a demon too, ain't ya?" I asked with demanding eyes and Ayame seemed to be just studying the situation from the side, leaning her chin against her left hand. Maou seemed to be a little bothered by the question.

"Well... it's a little embarrasing to say like this... but I'm actually the dark lord, Satan, himself", he spoke and scratched the back of his head. Huh?

…

HUH?!

Both me and Ayame jumped back in our seats, almost screaming. I glued my back to the window and stared at the raven-guy with terrified eyes. Ayame had lost her cool completely, looking at Maou- no, Satan, like he was... well, Satan!

"W-wait! Please, just hear me out!" he tried to calm us down, backing a bit away from us on his seat. I felt my pulse getting faster.

"Y-Y-YOU-YOU'RE SATAN?!" Ayame yelled, pointing at Maou with her index finger. "_THE_ SATAN?!"

"Well, yes-"

"THE LEADER OF THE DEMON ARMY?!" I yelled.

"Well, yes-"

"THE ONE WHO FELL OUR WORLD INTO DARKNESS?!"

"Well, yes..."

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" me and Ayame yelled at the same time.

"Well... yes."

The three of us just stayed there in silence, all giving eachother confused, terrified or flustered looks. What in the name of Hell had we gotten our poor selves into?

Maou was the first person to break the silence.

"People are looking at us funny", Maou said, eyeing the other customers in the MgRonald's. Ayame and I took a little time to collect our thoughts before sitting down normally, looking around the place as well.

The amount of questions and fears inside of me had grown in numbers so humongously I could barely keep myself from bursting. I didn't even know where to start anymore. Luckily Ayame spoke out the first question in my behalf.

"You're not gonna try and kill us, are you?" she asked in a defensive, threatening tone.

"No, I'm not. Promise!" Maou raised both of his hand up as a some sort of defensive or maybe trust inducing motion. "I don't even have any magic right now." That is a relief, if what he's saying is the truth, at least. You never know with demons, or so I've heard, since Lucifer was actually the first one I've ever met.

"You'd better be telling the truth or I'll murder you in your sleep", Ayame said, leaning threateningly towards Maou. At times like these I think Ayame's the one I actually should be afraid of, and reading from Maou's expressions, he thought so too.

"It may not be much coming from me, but I'm actually a pretty trustworthy person", Maou reassured. "Besides, Emilia the Hero is already keeping an eye on me", he said, speaking those words with a disgust or maybe irony of some degree.

"Huh? Emilia the Hero is here, too?!" Ayame half-yelled. Maou nodded.

"It's a long story."

Maou explained everything to us very slowly and in detail, since we'd been in the dark for so long. He began with the war, how it ended with the Hero killing half of his generals, him fleeing to Tokyo with Alciel through a magic portal the Hero on their tail, starting work at MgRonald's, Lucifer and Olba Meyer joining forces, figuring out a way for demons to use magic by humans' negative emotions and destroying parts of Tokyo, him beating them and taking Lucifer under his roof to be kept an eye on, and finally joining forces with the Hero when fighting against Sariel, who was trying to steal the Hero's sword, Better Half. Me and Ayame stayed completely silent through the whole story, finding it hard to believe our own ears. Could we really trust the demon lord's story...?

"We did notice magic being used here, but thought... well, I at least thought someone had come after us from Heaven", Ayame spoke, still obviously doubtful of Maou's story.

"That's what I thought, too... we never even talked about it, since we have... an agreement", I said, running a hand through my curly hair and looking away for a second. "I didn't want to face the possible angels mad about our... well, let's say stuff happened, and we both wanted to stay as far away from magic users as possible."

"Could you tell me what two angels are doing here in this world? Your story seems interesting as well, and I wanna make sure you're no threat to us, either", Maou spoke with a serious expression and tone, still somehow maintaining a flash of his human form's softness in his eyes.

"I don't trust our story to you without speaking with the Hero first – unlike you, demon lord, her we can trust", Ayame replied and I nodded as a confirmation. Who thought I'd ever be in this ridiculous situation, chatting casually with the horrifying lord Satan about war and heroes and all that stuff, no battle, anger (well, too much anger at least) or anything added. He gives off a weird, warm atmosphere that makes me feel comfortable around him. Maybe it's another demon trick or something, or maybe his first appearance sticks with me still. The guy still feels somehow very misunderstood.

"I guessed you'd want something like that..." Maou said and dug out a flip phone from his pocket. "Wait just a sec, I'll call her now. She might be at work, though, since I don't know her schedule." He picked a number from the phone's memory and called it.

Beep.

Beep.

Bee-

"Hello, Emi? … I need to ask you a favor... … C'mon, it's actually a thing you should know about anyway. … Urushihara found two angels here in Tokyo. … I'm chatting with them right now, so come here. … McRonald's. … We can meet there, too. … See ya soon." Maou closed the flip phone and slid it into his pocket.

"Well?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"We'll meet up at my apartment", he stated with a warm smile.

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**I'm sorry it's a little short again! I had writer's block and honestly, this is the best I could come up with. I was tired while writing, too, so sorry if there's some weird stuff going on. The next chapter will be posted up this week, probably weekend. Hope you liked this chapter and reviews would be very much appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 5 - Mixing white and black

**[A/N]**

**Hello! Here's your new chapter!**

**At this point I'd like to thank everyone who's favorited, followed or reviewed! Thank you so much, I squeal from happiness everytime I notice a new alert on my story! **

**Oh, and thank you BlackWingedTraveler for your critisism and suggestions! Since this is the first story I've ever published, what you wrote really helps me. I actually do have my friend read the story and he spots most of the grammar errors and such, but English is neither of our native tongue, so obviously some parts are left a little... awkward. As for the names, I'm sorry, I have my reasons (no matter how stupid) for not changing them. XD I'll keep your tips in mind for the future, though! Thanks again! c:**

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><p><span>Chapter 5 – Mixing white and black<span>

Me and Ayame were both very suspicious when Maou told us we'd have to meet the Hero at his apartment – especially Ayame is convinced that this is some kind of a trap. I, however, pointed out that we can't know that without going to check it out. Besides, what would the Dark Lord do with a couple of runaway angels? It's not like we know much or even have any magic left.

We left MgRonald's with the former demon king and watched as he walked a couple of meters in front of us, walking a bicycle he called "Dullahan" beside him. We couldn't help but chuckle at the choice of name, or the fact that he'd actually named his bike, and deserved a couple of deadly stares for that. The simple stare of those red eyes gave away the fact that that guy _has_ to be a demon.

When we got farther and farther away from the MgRonald's, we began to notice we were entering the poorer parts of Tokyo, the place where only young couples and other moneyless people move. Me and Ayame looked at eachother in confusion as if to ask "Really? This is where the great lord Satan lives now?" Then, before we could say anything...

"Alright, we're here", Maou said with a cheery smile and parked his bike outside a squalid building. It looked old, constricted and like it was about to collapse any minute now. Ayame and I both flinched back.

"A-are you sure it's safe?" I asked as we followed Maou to the dangerous-looking metal stairs.

"Just watch your step", he chuckled and gave us a hand-motion signing that it's alright. He walked up the stairs holding the railing and stopped at the top, waiting for us to follow.

"Ladies first", I joked and showed Ayame closer to the stairs. She growled and began climbing them somewhat reluctantly and holding on to the railing as well. I listened as the stairs creaked and groaned as she walked to the top. Maou entered the building while Ayame was climbing and then, after debating with myself for a moment, I climbed them up as well, following the other two inside.

The building is just as worn inside as it is outside. The hallway's short and there aren't many apartment doors. Even though there aren't many, considering the size of the place, they can't really have more than one, tops two rooms per place. Me and Ayame exchanged looks once more.

"This is where you live?" Ayame asked with a surprised and even a little disappointed tone.

"Yup, me and my roommates", he said, sticking his keys inside the lock of door 201. I don't know what I was expecting, but maybe something a little more... majestic. He is- or at least was, a demon lord, after all. "It's not much, but enough for us." He turned the key and opened the door, revealing us the true nature of their living-situation.

Like I expected, it was a one-room apartment. Maou walked inside and we followed him, taking off our shoes at the entrance.

"I'm back!" Maou greeted as he threw his keys on a small table in the middle of the room. I looked around in the room. It was only the size of six tatami mats, no beds, a closet, a small balcony, bathroom and a short row of kitchen counters, cabinets, a fridge and a stove. The kitchen-part was under a window to the hallway, which I was surprised I didn't notice from there. "How come it's so quiet here?"

"Welcome back, Maou-sama", greeted a male voice from the kitchen counters. I didn't see him properly, since Maou was standing in front of me. I however could see the two other people inside the small apartment. In front of an old-looking laptop at the side of the room sat a young guy with purple hair, who I immediately recognized as Lucifer, and at the small table sat a young woman with long, rosy hair. I guessed that must be the Hero Emilia, since I haven't seen her in person before. "How was work?" the male continued.

"Uh, it was fine... except for when Chiho-"

"Alright, I don't wanna hear about your day! You know I'm here for your emergency call or whatever", the rose-head spoke. She indeed seems to be the Hero.

"I thought you were here for free dinner", came Lucifer's nonchalant answer.

"No one asked you, NEET", the rose-head shot and turned to look at me. I guess Ayame's out of her line of sight. Lucifer only groaned like he was too tired to answer. Maou moved away from in front of us and sat at the table. "Nice to meet you, I'm Emilia Justina. Well, currently I'm called Emi Yusa", the woman spoke with a cheery tone and we walked a bit closer to her, so we could be seen properly from every part of the apartment. I thought I caught Lucifer looking at us from the corner of his eye, too.

"We're honored to meet you, Hero Emilia. You can call me Ayame Honda, and her name's Hana Wakahisa", Ayame spoke politely and bowed as a greeting. I watched what she did and when I realized I was being introduced too, I hastily bowed as well.

"Nice to meet you", I said and twirled a white curl around my finger.

"So, we were wondering-"

"It's YOU!" came a sharp yell from the kitchen counters and a finger pointed at me. I blinked in confusion as I looked at the finger, slowly moving my gaze to the pointer's face. Oh no. My jaw dropped when I noticed that the guy Maou had previously spoken to is someone I had already met. Tall guy with blond hair and golden-brown eyes. That... that's Alciel? Oh no, oh no, oh no...! This is bad! My heart began racing so fast when I started gathering looks from everyone inside the small apartment.

"Ashiya? You know her?" Maou asked in confusion and looked at the tall male.

"Oh, DO I!" he groaned and pulled away his pointing finger. No way, this isn't happening. That isn't the same guy, he can't be! I backed away a step without even noticing. "SHE'S the one who STOLE from me at the store!"

"_You_ stole from Ashiya? Ahahahaha! That's great!" came a satisfied laugh from the computer.

"W-well... I", I began, but got cut off by Ayame.

"You did WHAT?!" she screamed into my ear and squeezed her hands into fists. I didn't dare to look at her, because I know what kind of a look she has on her face. It's the one I became very familiar with in my years of being a soldier – the one that tells me to run. Fast.

"Well... it was only 500 yen! It's not that big of a deal, really!" I yelled at the blond man with a panicked expression.

"ONLY 500 yen?" he looked terrified, over exaggerating his statement by pressing a hand dramatically against his chest. "Do you even know how much stuff you can buy with that?!" he yelled.

"I was hungry and didn't have any money with me! What'd you expect me to do?!" I yelled. "And how'd you even notice I stole from you? It was _500 yen_!"

"I'd expect you to starve! And I take good care of our low incomes, every yen counts, thank you very much!"

"ALRIGHT! That's enough!" Maou yelled, stopping our heated argument. I didn't even notice I'd stepped so close to the tall male and he probably hadn't realized he'd done the same. My face was heated from rage and panic and I backed off, defeated. I crossed my arms and looked away from my adversary, pouting like a little kid.

"Hana-chan, return the money to the demon", Ayame demanded with a scary voice. I flinched at her words and dug out my wallet, handing over a 500 yen bill without looking at the blond.

"Hmph", the male gnarled as he snatched the bill from my hand. "I thought angels were supposed to be the "good guys"", he added to his previous noise and I shot a stare at him.

"Tell it to that thing at the computer", I pointed out, pointing my hand towards Lucifer.

"I don't count", the purple-headed male said with a bored tone, turning away from his computer screen to take part in the conversation, immediately taking a look at me and Ayame. "Hey, I know you", he said while looking at Ayame. "You were a group leader in the army, weren't ya?" Maou, Emilia and the previous demon general Maou had called Ashiya all turned to look at Lucifer and then slowly turned their gazes towards Ayame. The silver-eyed angel next to me simply nodded, narrowing her eyes when she looked at the fallen one.

Ayame moved her eyes from Lucifer to the Hero, who locked eyes with her. Ayame took a deep breath before speaking and spread a warm smile on her face.

"Like I was saying earlier... me and Hana-chan", Ayame paused to glare at me before continuing, apparently still pissed off about my behaviour, "came here wondering if what Satan Jacob told us about you guys entering this world is anywhere near the truth. Obviously we couldn't trust his word alone."

"Yeah, I don't see a reason why he'd lie", the Hero said pretty casually and leaned her chin against her hand, looking at Maou from the corner of her eye. "It's weird, but he's been a pretty trustworthy guy here... as far as I know." Ayame and I both blinked before looking at Maou in confusion. The situation was weird for us too, to say the least.

"Told ya", Maou confirmed with a smirk.

"How dare you even doubt my master's words, you pests!" Ashiya yelled while pointing a finger at us, again.

"Just let it go, Ashiya – they had a good reason to", Maou said. Ashiya turned to look at Maou, slowly dropping his hand and going back to cooking. "So... now that you know our story and can trust in it, too", Maou carefully began, "it's time for us to hear yours. Who exactly are you, when and how did you come here and most importantly, what are you doing here?" he asked the questions with a serious tone, laying both of his hands on the table. We looked at eachother, thinking about where we should even begin. "Oh, sit down, if you want to", he added with a soft smile. I nodded and sat next to the Hero, back facing to Lucifer's. Ayame sat at the end of the table closest to the door and we took off our school bags from our shoulders.

"I'm interested in this, too", Emilia admitted.

"Well... where should we start?" I looked at Ayame for support.

"We... we both belonged to Heaven's army – she belonged in a battle group I was the leader of..." Ayame began, clearly not wanting to speak about the whole thing. "I went by the name Audiana then."

"We... kinda left Heaven during the war against you guys", I said, reluctantly looking at Maou and Ashiya behind his back. "We had no idea you'd ever come here – or that we'd even meet you." Ayame nodded as a confirmation to my words.

"We've been living here for much longer than you guys – about two years, I think? We used all of our magic in the beginning to have ourselves all the necessary stuff to survive here", Ayame told.

"You were in the army... so... you're... war deserters?" I sensed the hate in Emilia's words.

"Kinda..." I admitted, embarrasment painted clearly on my face. Ayame didn't dare to look at anyone in the eye and I followed her example, staring at the top of the table. Usually I don't even care about the war, like I don't care about most things back in our world, but everyone here had fought in the war except for us, even if on the opposite sides. "To my defense... I didn't have the necessary training to survive there anyway..." I muttered, hoping no one would hear my desperate words.

"Uh... did you take part-time jobs to survive, like us?" Maou broke the awkward silence, rubbing the back of his head with a cheery smile on his face. I nodded.

"We did, but we're both pretty bad at keeping a job... we've been working at several places, libraries and nearby stores, but don't usually get farther than the first paycheck..." I giggled awkwardly. "We live in our school's dormitory and mostly off of support money... and Ayame sells her paintings online, but that doesn't give us too much money either."

"Dinner's ready!" came Ashiya's voice, saving us from the awkward conversation. I didn't think I'd ever be so glad to hear his simple words.

"Great, let's eat!" Maou clapped his hands together. "Oh, would you care to join us?" he pointed the question to us.

"It isn't too much trouble, is it?" Ayame asked, smiling.

"Not at all", Maou said. I watched as Ashiya filled soup plates with noodles and some vegetables.

"Well, thanks", I said, bowing my head politely to Maou. I don't usually bother to be too polite, but I still feel way too embarrased about everything.

"Finally, some food... I'm starving", Lucifer complained as he crawled over from the computer to the table. He sat in the empty spot between me and Ayame, turning his face subtly to look at me. Is something bothering him? Maybe he does remember me, after all. "Oh, right, now I remember!" he practically yelled as Ashiya placed chopsticks and plates filled with noodles in front of everyone. I was right.

"You remember _what_?" Emilia asked with an annoyed tone, glaring at the fallen angel next to me.

"Your name's Drenumi, right?" Lucifer asked, ignoring the rose-head's presence. He took the chopsticks in his hand, still looking at me. I gave him an unsure nod. "Ahh, it's been bothering me since yesterday... I knew I'd seen you somewhere, too."

"Wait... so your story about meeting Lucifer wasn't made up?" Ayame raised a brow.

"You thought I made it up?" I asked, pissed off at the question.

"You made it into a story...?" Lucifer asked, holding back a laugh.

"Well, n-no! Someone just asked me where I'd been all day, and-"

"Huh? You guys know eachother?" Maou asked, pointing at us one at a time.

"Well, I kinda raced her once", Lucifer simply said.

"Pretty poorly, if you ask me..." I muttered, annoyed by the topic.

"As if – I was holding back, too, and you still only barely kept up with me", the fallen angel chuckled.

"Shut up", I said.

"Let's eat before it gets cold", Ashiya demanded, sitting in the last empty spot, next to Maou.

"For once a good idea", Lucifer replied and put some of the noodles in his mouth.

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><p>The conversation at the dinner table went pretty solid – Ashiya and Maou finally got to tell about their days and Emilia even told about her's. Apparently she's a phone service lady nowadays. We already knew Maou was working at MgRonald's, but also learned about Ashiya being a "loyal house-husband", as Lucifer called him, which to Ashiya replied the purple-haired demon to be a "useless hikikomori". The insults made me giggle even though I didn't take too much part in the conversation. Emilia and Maou's back and forth insults also made me think if there was some unresolved sexual tension between them, but didn't dare say a word. Ayame seemed to go along with the conversation well as it went, since she's much more social than I.<p>

Lucifer was the first to finish his meal, dumping his plates into the kitchen-sink and returning to his apparently usual spot in front of the computer. He kinda reminds me of myself, to be honest.

"You could've at least rinsed your plate, you know", Ashiya hissed at the one in front of the laptop.

"Yeah, yeah..." he muttered as an aswer, obviously not paying attention at all. The computer had already swallowed him inside it's world. Ashiya sighed, but didn't bother to argue, like he knew it was useless.

"I'm kinda curious... what was Lucifer like before his fall?" Emilia asked slyly, pointing her question to me and Ayame. Everyone probably saw when Lucifer threw a deadly stare at her.

"We didn't know him that well, I only met him a few times during some official meetings and stuff. To me, he doesn't seem that different..." Ayame took a look at the purple-haired boy staring at her with an annoyed expression. "...well, he wasn't a jobless bum then."

"I thought he was nuts when I first met him. He almost pushed me _and_ himself out of the sky", I giggled. "I couldn't imagine him doing the same the way he is now." I reminded myself of the image of the panting Lucifer running away from a cashieer.

"How about you two shut up", he growled. Usually angels with lower ranks should follow his command, even now that he is fallen (it's a custom among angels), but me and Ayame couldn't hold back our chuckles. The boy turned back to his computer screen with a frown on his face, acting as if he wasn't following the conversation anymore.

"I'm sorry", I managed to say between chuckles.

"Huh, so he hasn't changed?" Emilia took a look at Lucifer. "How boring."

"I'm not here for your entertainment", Lucifer hissed.

"Now where have I heard this before...?" Maou mumbled to himself.

"Well, we should probably get going", Ayame said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Mmh, I should too. We should probably exchange numbers before that, though. Incase something comes up", Emilia said.

"Agreed", Ayame replied. Soon four flip phones began their journey between Maou, Emilia, Ayame and myself as we wrote down our numbers in every device they already weren't in. When the exchange was done, everyone except me put away their phones and Ayame and Emilia were already ready to go. I, however, turned to look at the guy in front of the computer one last time. I smiled and turned myself around, crawling next to him at the computer. He gave me a surprised look.

"Hey, Luci- uh, Urushihara-kun, you have a phone, right? Could I have your number, too?" I asked, an uncharacteristic smile on my lips.

"Huh? Why?" he replied, tilting his head.

"Well, just in case. Like, if I can reach no one else... and also, because I want it", I said. Being this bold isn't like me at all, but I always have my reasons for doing what I do. I tried not to care about the odd looks I received from the rest of the group. Lucifer blinked in confusion before he could come up with words to answer me.

"...sure", he said, taking the phone I was offering him and writing down his number.

"You can ask mine from Maou-san", I said, smiling, and got up after receiving my phone. I grabbed my school bag from the floor, facing the others once more. I couldn't help but blush when I saw everyone staring at me with wide eyes. "A-anyways... bye", I stuttered, walking through the room and to the door, being the first to exit the apartment. I think I heard the others say their goodbyes as well, but I was too embarrased to stay and listen.

* * *

><p>We exited the building and after watching Emilia stumble down the stairs, having tripped at the fifth step down, we went our separate ways from her, waving as a goodbye. After she was gone we headed for our familiar school and it's even more familiar dormitory room 186. At first we walked in silence, but of course Ayame just had to ask...<p>

"...what was that about?"

"Huh? W-what was what about?" I played dumb, turning my head to look away from her.

"You know what I'm talking about. Why'd you ask for Luci- Urushihara-kun's number?" Ayame asked, apparently having trouble calling Lucifer by his "Earth-name" too. "You don't _still_ have a crush on him, right?"

"I never had a crush on him to begin with!" I half-yelled and felt as my cheeks turned red from her words. Why does my body react to embarrasment so easily? Damn you, stupid genes... "A-and I asked for the number because... well..." I didn't know how to phrase my answer. "Well, I kinda saw him play Hearthrock." Ayame blinked.

"Really, now..." she began, annoyed, "you asked a demon's number, specifically the fallen archangel's number, to play that stupid card game with him?" I nodded. "You're an idiot."

"Well, I really like that game..." I watched as Ayame placed a hand against her forehead and sighed. "Besides, we just exchanged numbers with Satan himself. I don't think it's that bad, ya'know?"

"Yes, but there are circumstances- ah, whatever. I'm too tired for this", Ayame said. She did actually look somewhat worn out. "What... what do you think about all this?" she asked after a short silence.

"Well, I don't know... they seemed like... I dunno, normal guys?" I scratched my head in thought. Ayame nodded.

"I think so too... Ugh, this is all so weird", she replied.

"We should probably sleep on it before thinking about it too much", I suggested. She yawned and nodded, clearly already dreaming about a pillow under her head.

I'ts not like I'm not confused. It's not like I'm not afraid, either. All of this happened so suddenly. Just a couple of days ago we were like normal high school girls chatting about boys and gossiping. I'd already almost forgotten the time I spent in Heaven, the place humans often refer to as "paradise". I've never found it to be too spectacular, but it was more peaceful than most places. If your sin's too terrible to bear, you're cast out as a fallen angel. That way only the ones deserving of a place there stay.

When Heaven stopped being Heaven for me, I fleed, terrified of everything that would happen or had already happened. When I first saw Lucifer at that gamestore, I was sure I'd be just as terrified as I used to be, but... I'm not. I'm scared, but not like I was then. Not when I was... alone.

I turned to look at Ayame walking beside me. That's right. I'm not alone, I haven't been alone for a while. That couldn't be the reason, could it? Am I really so weak I can't function without other people around me...? I laid my eyes to the tarmac, ignoring the worried gaze my friend displayed me.

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**I just_ can not_ make the chapters longer than this, can I? Oh, well... they're not that short, I guess. The next chapter will be up on... Tuesday? Yeah, Tuesday's good! See you then!**


	7. Chapter 6 - Lies have consequences

**[A/N]**

**Here's your new chapter! Hope you guys like it!**

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><p><span>Chapter 6 – Lies have consequences<span>

Waking up early in the morning was as hard as it always is. I kept turning off the alarm I'd set on my phone and in the end Ayame had to pull me out of bed – literally. She grabbed my feet and pulled me on the floor and I almost didn't get up from that, either. I think yesterday was way too eventful for me to bear.

After a lot of struggles on both mine and Ayame's side I finally got up, changed into my school uniform and entered the school building. If only I'd known what was waiting for me and I would've slept over the whole day.

"Good morning..." Etsuko hissed from between her teeth the minute she saw me in the hallway. Shit. I'd totally forgotten I accidentally left her at the game store yesterday.

"Ah... morning", I waved with a forced smile on my lips. Why is Ayame nowhere to be seen when I need her the most? I tried disappearing in the masses of students.

"C'mere for a sec", Etsuko growled and grabbed my arm, pulling me to an empty corner with her. Why am I getting pulled so much nowadays? My arm can't take it if this goes on. "You left me alone in that stupid store, you asshole! What do you have to say for yourself?" Etsuko snapped, letting go of my arm and making threatening hand motions. I instinctively raised both of my hands to cover myself from possible hits.

"L-listen, I have an explanation", I began, but stopped before I could gab farther. I only just realized I have _an_ explanation, but I don't have an explanation _for her_. Etsuko would think I've went crazy if I even tried telling her the truth. Besides, I don't even like her! Why would I even consider telling her the truth in the first place? I should be glad that I left her in that store.

"You do? Well spit it out then!" she yelled like a cartoon character and crossed her arms in an annoyed manner. I tried to come up with a solid explanation, waving my hands slowly in the air as if motioning me putting my thoughts together.

"Umm, there was this guy-"

"A guy?! You should've said so, then!" Etsuko's mood suddenly changed and she grabbed both of my arms, making me flinch back. An exited expression had appeared on her make-up filled face.

"H-huh?" I began, stuttering. "You're letting it go just like that?" I pushed her arms off myself.

"Well, sure, if it was a guy! I know for a fact you haven't had a boyfriend for the whole time you've attended Sasahaki North – of course I'll forgive small missteps like that if it's for a greater cause!" Etsuko cheered. I blinked in confusion.

"A greater cause...?" was all I could come up with to say. "You mean you think he's my boyfriend or something?" I felt my cheeks heat up at the supposition. Etsuko's cheery mood died down immediately after those words.

"Hmm, he's not? Well, I guess you have some explaining to do, after all", she threatened and crossed her arms again. I bet she was just after some juicy gossip or something.

"Ah, eh, calm down, Etsuko-san... it was just... umm... I-I..." I stuttered, trying to make up a solid lie. "That's it!" I realized. Etsuko raised a brow at my sudden change of tone. "I hadn't met him before because – umm – I know him from a game! From Realm of Warship! _Yeah_. And then when I met him it was so – umm – surprising that... I totally forgot about you!" I smiled a broken smile. Etsuko sighed in disappointment.

"Listen, you don't have to make up lies... if you were just trying to get me back for keeping you waiting yesterday, I-"

"No! That's not it, I promise!" Why the heck am I trying to assure her of my lie? What she was about to say would work just as well. I guess her wrath must scare me more than any demon. "I just really wanted to talk to him!"

"Talk to who?" came a familiar voice from behind my back. I turned around and felt as someone suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. "Hello~, Hana-chan!" Gina giggled and rubbed her cheek against my hair. I pushed her off when I realized what was happening.

"Gah! Don't suffocate me!" I panicked and checked if my hair was alright with one of my hands.

"Oh, sorry. So~, what were you guys talking about?" she asked and wrapped her arms gently around me as I turned to face Etsuko again. Gina laid her chin on my head and chuckled warmly. It seemed she was having a great day. Good for her...

"Oh, nothing... just Hana-san's new boyfriend", Etsuko said and smirked devilishly. She did no just say that. No, that's the one thing you do not do! You don't tell Gina about the boys you hang out with, or it's the last mistake you'll do. After that you're under a constant bombing of very awkward and personal questions. Damn you, Etsuko!

"WHAAAATT?! You have a boyfriend?!" Gina screamed into my ear and I freed myself from her grasp, backing away several steps. I shot a deadly glare at the still smirking Etsuko.

"N-no! I don't have a boyfriend, you lunatic! Etsuko-san made it up!" I defended, squeezing my hands into fists.

"Oh? Then why are you blushing?" Etsuko asked. She just couldn't stop putting more gas in the fire, could she?

"You asshole... you'll pay for this", I threatened the brunette and grabbed one of her sleeves.

"Yeah, yeah – after class", she freed herself easily and headed for her classroom. "Have fun~."

"After class you'll tell me EVERYTHING!" Gina insisted. I nodded in defeat. A wide smile spread across her face as she hopped away, her school bag bouncing funnily against her hip.

Curse you, Etsuko...!

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><p>My arts' class went by fast. I got to witness as Ayame sulked about the grade of her last painting, even though it was really high for most people's standards, and it made me giggle. I actually giggled so loudly that the teacher came over to our table to see if "everything was alright". I don't usually get to see Ayame, my great commander, sulk like a little girl, so the sight made me more than happy.<p>

When the class was finally over and we got out of the classroom, another surprise was waiting for me outside. Me and Ayame were chatting about our homework when another familiar voice from behind interrupted us.

"Uh, excuse me..." the voice said. We immediately stopped walking and turned around, facing the cute redhead with a nice figure. "Wakahisa-senpai?" Chiho Sasaki spoke.

"Sasaki-san, hi", I greeted and even waved my hand at her. There were confused expressions on our faces.

"Hi. Um. I hope I'm not bothering you?" the girl spoke. She seemed a little nervous, she was even fiddling with her skirt's hem. I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking.

"No, of course you aren't. What is it that you have in mind?" Ayame asked with her usual friendly smile. "Is it about Maou-san?" she continued. Ah, so Ayame seemed to have picked up on her behaviour at McRonald's, too. I thought she might have, but hadn't thought about it too hard. My guesses were immediately confirmed when Sasaki's cheeks turned bright pink.

"Uh, yeah... I just got a little surprised when you left together yesterday. I was just wondering – uh, how do you know him?" she asked, still nervous. It appeared she was afraid we were in a close relationship with the guy or something like that. Which, of course, wasn't the case at all.

"Ah, we were just talking to him about... Um, well, you see... We sold him a painting", Ayame made up, raising one of her index fingers. I felt like facepalming.

"What? You did?" Sasaki spoke. She seemed suspicious, and for a reason. Those guys couldn't afford even a cheap painting, I mean they can barely afford food. What was Ayame thinking?

"Y-yeah! Well, his roommate kinda bought it from me... but... umm, he didn't have any money with him, so we agreed to meet up with Maou-san to agree on the payment", Ayame made up as she spoke. "Then when we couldn't come to an agreement about the prize we kinda ended up eating dinner at his place!" Was she sweating?

"Uh... alright, then", Sasaki raised a brow. "What kind of painting did you sell?" Ayame opened her mouth like she was about to speak, but no words came out.

"It's a girl!" I suddenly yelled. "A redheaded girl... it... it actually kinda looks like you." The painting was one Ayame had actually done. She hadn't sold it yet, so she kept it under her bed. It's one of the first ones she painted here, so it probably has some emotional value to her.

"I-it does?" Sasaki blushed at my words. A cute smile formed on her round face when some sort of realization hit her. "Oh, I get it now! Hahaha! I guess I was worried for nothing", she chuckled.

"Yeah...!" I agreed with a lazy thumbs up. "Well... our next class is about to begin, so-"

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to keep you here, Wakahisa-senpai, Honda-senpai", she bowed to us one at a time. "I guess I'll see you around!"

"Haha, no worries. We'll see you around, too", Ayame waved at the girl as she hurried for her classes. We just stood there and stared into the direction she'd ran. We didn't dare to even breathe before she had disappeared from our sight.

Then we both sighed at the exact same time.

"Whoah, that was close..." Ayame said, relaxing her body a little. I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah", I replied. "She probably doesn't know about Maou and the rest."

"Probably", Ayame agreed. We turned around and began heading for our next class. I was the one to break the very short silence.

"Oh, that reminds me... I have to explain things to Gina-chan as well", I sighed. Ayame just blinked in surprise and corrected the position of her school bag. My bag had started to feel heavy against my shoulder as well and Ayame's action made me copy her.

"How come?" she asked.

"Well... Etsuko-san kinda made her think I'm going out with Urushihara-kun..." I answered a little reluctantly. Ayame stared at me before starting to giggle hysteriously. "What?" I hissed.

"I-it just makes so much sense", she managed to say. I gritted my teeth together.

"Not you, too..." I placed my hand against my forehead.

"Sorry. I'll stop now", she said and held back the rest of her giggles. I appreciate her when she's like this. She knows when I don't want to make a big deal out of things. "So what are you gonna tell her?"

"I wish I knew..." I said as we entered the classroom.

* * *

><p>When the classes were over we met Gina in the main lobby. She immediately started asking guestions about me and my "boyfriend", but I bought myself more time by promising to explain everything to her in detail after we'd eaten. She wanted to go to MgRonald's again, but knowing that Maou worked there me and Ayame both immediately voted against it.<p>

"How about we go to SFC for a change?" I suggested with an innocent smile. I saw from the corner of my eye when Ayame gave me a surprised look. What?

"Huh? That's new. Well, why the heck not!" Gina agreed to my suggestion, much to Ayame's distress. I watched as her worried expression grew to a horrified one.

We walked closer and closer to the Sentucky Fried Chicken and Ayame seemed more and more nervous every step. She was walking a little behind us and I just couldn't grasp on the reason why she was so flustered. I slowed my pace just the slightest bit to walk besides her, leaning in a bit closer to her so she'd hear my whispering.

"What is it?" I whispered. She looked at me like I was a mentally disabled person. The look was scarily similar to the one Lucifer once gave me.

"Do you even realize what you've done?" Ayame grabbed my arm. Yeah, go ahead, grab me – that's what everyone does. I brushed off her hand and hissed at her. "Sariel works at that place", she said with a low volume. Oh God. It all makes sense now! I'm an idiot! I hadn't even thought about the archangel since he wouldn't even recognize me. I don't think I've ever even seen him in person! But Ayame had actually met the archangel. She would be recognized the minute she walked in.

My expression had turned into pure shock. Suddenly my feet stopped walking on their own and I just stood there, frozen in time. I saw Ayame and Gina behind an invisible wall, telling me to keep on walking. I backed away a step. We can't go to that place.

I was brought back into reality by Ayame's hand slapping me gently on the cheek. I shook my head as soon as I woke up from my thoughts and looked at her, apologetic. She simply sighed and turned to look at Gina.

"She just spaced out", she smiled at her and pushed me into motion again. We kept on walking towards the fast food place without another stop. Ayame pulled me little closer before I could catch up on Gina again. "Listen... it'll be alright. He might not even be at work right now", she said before letting me go and running up ahead. I shook my head again before I caught up on the others.

* * *

><p>Unlike the MgRonald's on the other side of the street, the SFC was full of people. Most of the tables were full and the line to the counters was longer than I'd prefer. I hate places packed with people, but at least we could disappear into the crowd if we happened to see Sariel.<p>

"Wow, this place is packed!" Thank you for stating the obvious, Gina, my love.

"I don't like it", I replied with a childish tone.

"There's not that much stuff you do like, Hana-chan", Ayame chuckled.

"Well, there is that guy you're supposed to tell me about..." Gina began, stepping closer to me in the line and entering my personal space.

"AFTER we're done eating..." I growled and pushed her back. "Let's order now", I said with a moody voice when we got to the counter.

We ordered our meals and looked for a table. Ayame was the one to order last and she had to wait for her meal to be brought to our table, since they ran out of ready-made ones on her turn. We chose a table next to the front windows, surprised it was still free.

"So, umm... anything new in your lives?" Gina asked, clearly trying her best not to bring up the boyfriend-thing before our meals were gone. "Did you hand over your history project, Ayame-chan?"

"I did. I hope it's good enough for the teacher. I really tried my hardest to make it perfect", Ayame replied and leaned her chin against her palms.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it", Gina said, cheery, and took a sip of her orange soda.

"Yeah. He's been giving me good grades lately, but I still worry..." Ayame chuckled.

"You're so paranoid", I yawned. Suddenly something very peculiar popped into my mind. "So, how'd Nobuko-san's date go?" I got weird stares from the other two girls.

"How come you wanna know?" Gina asked with both of her brows raised.

"Huh? I dunno, I'm just curious", I replied.

"Aww! Our little Hana-chan is growing up! And she's learning the ways of gossip, too~!" Ayame joked.

"Shut up", I chuckled and leaned my elbow against the table, placing my cheek against my hand.

"Well", Gina began, brushing back her electric-blue hair, "she called me yesterday evening after her date, and..."

"Your meal is here", spoke a male voice. Before I could even blink Ayame had suddenly dived under our table. I just stared at the empty spot she was sitting on a couple of seconds ago before moving my gaze to the man who brought her food. Purple eyes were staring at Ayame's empty spot on the sofa. "Ah, I know I can be a quite shock to the ladies", the short male suddenly stated, his blue hair flowing smoothly with his movements, "but I'm afraid my heart is already stolen by a classic beauty from across the street." He spoke the words with a tone so disgustingly flirty it made me back off on my seat.

It took some time for me to come into the conclusion that that man was Sariel – that's why Ayame had suddenly cowered under the table. I just stared at him for a second before I could get any words out of my mouth. That guy's an archangel?

"Just... leave it there. She's a little shy", I said with an awkward smile. The man shook his shoulders and placed the tray on Ayame's spot at the table, saying his goodbyes and leaving for his duties again. The meeting felt so anticlimactic somehow. I almost wished something more interesting would've happened.

"Is he gone...?" Ayame whispered from under the table.

"He's gone", I lazily confirmed. Ayame climbed up from under the table, blushing deeply when she noticed many of the other customers staring at her with weirded out looks.

"What the hell was that all about?" Gina demanded. I turned to look at her. Oh shit, I forgot she was even here.

"Uh, I know that guy and... um, he's umm..." Ayame stuttered, "he's a family friend I'd rather not talk to." She gave Gina an awkward smile, much like the one I'd given Sariel only moments ago.

"What the hell? I thought your families live far away somewhere", Gina said.

"They do, but my parents used to live here... and, um, I was a lot younger then... he's just kind of a creep", Ayame serried. She looked around her in a jumpy manner, scanning the area for the blue-haired angel. I blinked at her explanation, turning to look at Gina's face to see if she bought it. Surprisingly enough, she did.

"Oh", she simply said and turned her attention to me. "HANA-CHAN, YOU'RE DONE EATING!" she suddenly screamed and I jumped back on my seat. Holy shit, what got into her?! I looked at my tray – I'd eaten my meal away without noticing. "Now! Tell me everything about the dude Etsuko-san was talking about!" she demanded and almost pushed me off the sofa.

"ALRIGHT, alright! Just calm down already!" I replied. She took a deep breath and pulled back on her side of the sofa, looking at me with excited eyes. I sighed and regained my posture.

"He, um... I know him from Realm of Warship", I gave her the same lie I'd given Etsuko. "I met him in real life for the first time at the game store... and we're not dating or anything, for your information."

"What does he look like? Is he cute? What's his name?" Gina seemed to be bouncing on her seat. I leaned back in mine.

"Uh... he's short... he has purple hair and eyes. His name's Hanzo Urushihara..." I looked at Ayame for help but only got an amused smirk. I growled inside.

"Woow, that's so cool... sounds like your type. Hey, we should all play together! I just downloaded that game a couple of days ago!" Gina explained. I looked at her with a surprised expression.

"You did?" I looked at Ayame for a second too. She seemed to be enjoying our conversation a lot... wait, when did her meal disappear? "What's with you and fast food?" I spoke my thoughts out loud.

"Don't change the subject!" Gina demanded.

"Well... I don't know if playing together would be a good-"

"I won't take no for an answer!" the blue-haired girl interrupted. I sighed and placed a hand against my forehead.

"Fine, I'll call him later today..."

"Yay~!" Gina cheered and went back to her meal.

* * *

><p>The day seemed longer than the days before. Gina couldn't help her curiosity about Lucifer and asked me questions I hadn't ever even thought about. It all made me feel so embarrased. If only she'd know who the guy she was so curious about actually was and she'd realize the situation she, or, well, partly even I was putting myself into. Maybe then she'd be cool about it, like Ayame.<p>

I was so glad when we finally got back to our dorm room. We changed out of our school uniforms and I dressed myself into a green and with striped top and a black skirt, ready to dive into the world of Hearthrock. I wanted to calm myself down from the oddly social day before calling Lucifer about the stupid gaming thing Gina got me to agree to. Of course I couldn't have my peace when I wanted it the most.

"Here", Ayame said as she threw the painting of the red-haired girl in my hands. I caught it with a surprised expression and looked at it. The emotionless girl stared straight into my eyes, and to be honest, scared me a little bit.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked and held up the painting.

"You are going to go and deliver it to the demons' stronghold", Ayame said and took the computer from my studying table. "You need to take it to them to support our lie to Sasaki-san. She might visit there and ask about the missing painting otherwise."

"Wait, why me?"

"Because I say so", Ayame said with eyes colder than ice.

"You're just being lazy, aren't you?" I sighed.

"Yup", she replied with a dull voice and sat down on her bed, starting up the laptop.

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**I left it a little shorter than I first intended to, because I felt like all the dialogue was a bit much. I was supposed to write about Hana going to Villa Rosa, too, but I didn't wanna cramp up too much different situations in this single chapter. I'll write the next chapter on Friday. Hope you liked this one and I'd be glad to receive some reviews!**


	8. Chapter 7 - Your friends: My friends

**[A/N]**

**Here's the next chapter. Now I'm gonna collapse on my bed...**

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><p><span>Chapter 7 – Your friends = my friends<span>

The time was nearing six o'clock when I finally arrived at the apartment building called "Villa Rosa Sasazuka". I carried the painting I was supposed to give to Maou and his generals against my side, pressing my elbow against it just enough so it wouldn't fall down.

I climbed up the dangerous staircase holding my free hand on the railing, watching every step I took until I reached the top. I opened the door and walked into the hallway dividing the two pairs of apartments from eachother.

I was about to knock on the door of apartment 201 when I suddenly heard another door open. I turned to look towards the creeky sound and saw a young girl dressed in a traditional kimono. She looked cute in it, but isn't that sort of clothing kind of outdated? She was short too, around my height, and kept her dark hair in a cute ponytail on the side of her head. I raised a brow at the sight.

The girl looked at me with a somewhat curious expression, closing her door with a gentle push and supposedly walking over to me. She gave me a warm smile.

"I don't believe we've met – my name is Suzuno Kamazuki. Nice to meet you..." she trailed off, waiting for me to fill in the blank that was my name.

"Hana Wakahisa", I said and returned her smile. "Maou-san mentioned you when we spoke. It's nice to meet you in person, too." The girl, in our world named Crestia Bell, was told to have first been the demons' enemy like Emilia. The church sent her to assassinate the bunch, but in the end she decided otherwise. I don't know what it is that stops everyone from hating them too much. Maybe it's because they're poor?

"Ah, so you're Wakahisa-dono. Emilia called me about your meeting, but I'm afraid I was at the town that time, so I couldn't take part in it all. But like you said, it is nice to meet up in person", she spoke with a monotone voice, a soft smile never leaving her face. She speaks so formally... it really reminds me of the old japanese samurai-movies. I don't really care for them, but Ayame's very interested in japanese culture and other stuff like that and often drags me to watch those things with her.

"Yeah..." I replied, turning for the door. "Oh, you didn't happen to be going to the same addres, did you?"

"Actually, I am", Kamazuki spoke. "I check on my neighbours from time to time... just in case." Ah, it makes sense that she isn't being _too_ trustful towards the demons. I probably shouldn't be either, but for some reason it's hard not to be. "What's that in your hands?" she pointed at the painting pressed between my left arm and side.

"It's the reason I'm here", I chuckled, slightly lifting up the painting. "Well, I'd better-"

"Just come inside, the door is open", spoke a voice loudly from the inside. "We already know you're there." I backed away from the door, a light shade of pink appearing on my cheeks. I should've realized they can hear us speaking through the door – this place is a wreck and I bet every sound you make here is heard by somebody else.

I wrapped my hand around the door handle and opened it, entering the apartment and giving room for Kamazuki to enter as well. She walked past me into the room after taking off her shoes. I closed the door after us, taking off my shoes and walking straight over to Maou. He was sitting against the farthest wall and reading a manga book. Urushihara was on his usual spot at the computer and Ashiya was doing the dishes.

"Here", I plainly said as I handed the painting to Maou. He took it with a weirded out look on his face, eyeing the painting.

"What's this for?" he asked somewhat clueless.

"Just... a gift", I sighed, too tired to explain and looked around the room. "You're welcome."

"Thanks, I guess", he said and stood up. He placed his manga book on the table in the middle of the room and took the painting better in his hands to look at it. I noticed Ashiya was looking at it from the dishes, too.

"Is that all you came here for?" Ashiya asked, putting a cleaned up plate in the drying cabinet.

"Well, pretty much yeah..." I turned to look at Urushihara. I should ask him about the gaming session, but for some reason I can't get a word out of my mouth. Well, the whole thing is kind of embarrasing.

"Do you wanna stay for coffee?" Maou asked with a cheery smile, looking to place the painting somewhere.

"I didn't know you could afford a coffee machine", Kamazuki spoke from near the door. My eyes widened when I heard her voice - I totally forgot she was here for a moment. She must be a great assassin.

"We can't, it was more like a figure of speech", Maou casually said as he placed the painting leaning against a wall. "She sort of looks like Chiho, doesn't she?" he pointed out. I nodded in agreement.

"She does share some similarities, like the orange hair and..." Kamazuki's eyes trailed down on the painting, to the girl's chest area, I guessed. She stopped speaking then and I think I detected a faint blush on her cheeks. "A-anyway, why has it been so quiet here?" she changed the subject. "It's unusual and suspicious."

"Hmm? I guess we have been pretty quiet today..." Maou realized and placed a hand against his chin. "I mean you can't expect us to be _that_ social all the time."

"I guess not", Kamazuki simply answered, narrowing her eyes, and sat down at the table. She gestured me to do the same, so I did. I chose a place next to her. "So, Wakahisa-dono... what do you think about this world?" she asked.

"I've grown to like it pretty much", I replied, trying to keep my answer short and simple. "What about you?"

"Well, this world certainly offers some strange things to discover... strange and wonderful", Kamazuki answered thoughtfully. I giggled at her words.

"It sure does", I agreed.

"This place is pretty cool", Maou added, taking his manga and opening it up again.

"Maou-sama, please be polite and pay attention to our guests", Ashiya scolded, placing the last few dishes into the cabinet and closing it. He rinsed his hands from soap and dryed them on a small towel hanging from the lower cabinet doors. "Your manga can wait."

"Ah, sorry... it's just that a huge plot twist just happened, and I really want to know what comes next", Maou explained, clearly arguing with himself about if he should put down the manga.

"Maou-sama..." Ashiya began with a judging tone.

"No, it's fine. You can read if you want to", I said, giving them a reassuring smile. I didn't want an awkward fight to begin while I was here.

"Are you sure?" Maou asked and I nodded as a response. A wide smile formed on his lips. "Thanks!" he said and sat down on the spot he had conquered for himself earlier. Ashiya sighed in disappointment.

"I'm sorry about that", Ashiya bowed to me and Kamazuki. "Would you like to have some tea?" he asked from the both of us.

"Tea would be nice", Kamazuki said. I'm not much of a tea-person, but I usually take it when offered directly. I smiled and nodded at the tall male.

"Sure, why not", I said. Ashiya walked over to the kitchen counters and began boiling the tea water for us.

"Do you want tea, Maou-sama, Urushihara?" Ashiya turned to look at the other two demons one by one. Maou was the first to react, moving his gaze from the manga's pages and nodding.

"Yeah, thanks", he said and returned to his book.

"What about you, Urushihara?" Ashiya asked the purple-haired demon again. No response. "Urushihara?" he said a with a little more volume.

"Oy, he's speaking to you", I said a little shyly as I poked the demon on the back. He flinched at my touch, turning immediately to look at the one harrasing him.

"Huh? What?" he asked in confusion. "What is it?" He looked over to Ashiya. The blond man's brow twitched in annoyment.

"I was asking if you wanted tea or not", Ashiya said.

"No", Urushihara said before turning back to his computer screen. The tall house-husband muttered some indefinable words before turning back to the counters.

I took a look at what Urushihara was playing – it was Realm of Warship. It felt like a good moment, so I decided to speak up.

"Uh, hey... Urushihara-kun", I called his name. He was still alert for noises so he noticed me in a matter of seconds.

"Yeah?" he asked, his focus still on the screen.

"That game you're playing... I play it too", I casually began.

"I figured you do, since you were buying the same extension pack..." Urushihara spoke a little absently.

"What are you talking about?" Kamazuki asked with sudden curiosity. "You know eachother?"

"Not really..."

"Nope."

Neither of us really didn't seem to be in the mood to explain things, and it wasn't that important anyway. I turned my eyes from Kamazuki to the purple-haired boy.

"So... did you get the pack in the end?" I asked, raising a brow. I know I sure didn't. I should probably go look if the store still has it.

"Nope. I couldn't go back for obvious reasons and Maou wouldn't go buy it for me..." he still spoke like he was completely swallowed by the game.

"Well, you did take my credit card without my permission", Maou bluntly stated and then went back to his manga.

"It was stupid of you to go out in the first place", Ashiya added with a displeased tone. "You know you're kept in here for a reason."

"And still you call me a NEET", Urushihara replied, now turning away from the screen. There was an annoyed expression painted on his features.

"Anyways", I said, returning his attention to me. "Um..." Meeting his purple eyes made me a little unsure to continue. "One of my friends... um, I ended up in a funny situation", I tried to form my answer. The fallen angel raised an eyebrow at me. "Short explanation: she wants to play RoW with us", I blurted out quickly. Urushihara stared at me for a couple of seconds, eyes full of disbelief.

"With _us_...?" he asked, trying to comprehend what I just said. "Why? And who is she, anyway?" I noticed from the corner of my eye that everyone was staring at us again. I tried to hold back my blushing. How did I end up in this situation again?

"S-she's a close friend of mine. I met her at Sasahaki North... umm..." I stuttered, rubbing the back of my head with one hand. "I told her that you're a friend I met online and she insisted that we form a party." Urushihara still just stared at me, like everyone else there. No, wait, not everyone – I think Ashiya turned to look at the tea water.

"Why the hell did you tell her that?" he asked a little hostile. I backed away. It was so embarrasing.

"I don't know, I needed an explanation for certain things and I just quickly made something up! Don't blame me for covering our true identities", I demanded, acting a little bit like a cornered animal. Urushihara sighed deeply and bowed his head forward, placing a hand against his forehead.

"I'm not gonna do it", he said after removing the hand from his face. Then he turned back to his computer.

"That would be fine with me if it wasn't Gina-chan who's asking... she will most likely hunt you down if you don't play with her", I said with a sly tone. "You don't want a passionate stalker, do you?"

"It's not like we couldn't handle one more..." Maou casually said and finally stopped staring at me, going back to his manga once more.

"Don't talk about the Hero like she was a mere stalker, demon lord", Kamazuki shot at the raven-haired man.

"Yeah, yeah, I won't", Maou said, clearly not caring about Kamazuki's words. I turned to look at Ashiya, who handed over teacups, first to Kamazuki and then Maou. The third one he placed in front of me on the table, a little white tea plate under it.

"Please, Urushihara-kun... play with us just this once?" I asked with the most innocent tone I could come up with and crawled a little closer to him. I wouldn't do this for anyone else but Gina. She's always been there for me, no matter how little time we've known eachother, and I would feel guilty beyond comparison if I didn't at least try for her. Even though she often annoys me, I still care for her.

"Fine! Geez, just stop bothering me already!" he growled and pushed me back with one hand. I budged immediately when he touched me and a partially fake smile spread on my face.

"Ohh, thank you so much! I'll call you later tonight", I giggled a little awkwardly. I don't like it when I manage to make people do something they don't want to do. It makes me feel guilty afterwards – no, more like it makes me afraid of their anger.

I backed away from the NEET who was now muttering in the same manner Ashiya was earlier, and sat at the table again. I took the hot tea cup carefully in my hands and took a sip of the tea. Mint... mm, I love mint! I sipped it again. Maybe tea wasn't so bad, after all.

* * *

><p>I returned to the dormitory about an hour later and found Ayame on the computer. She was streaming an unfamiliar anime about ninjas or something and I let her watch the episode through before bothering her. I lied down on my bed, took out my phone and texted Gina.<p>

I told Gina that we could play after I got my computer back from Ayame and she of course was more than happy to hear it. She would be meeting my mysterious friend, after all. I wasn't so happy about all this hassle, but did it mostly for her enjoyment.

"I'm done with my anime", Ayame yawned and walked over to my bed, handing over the laptop. I put away my phone before taking the device from her.

"Great", I said with a hint of sarcasm in my voice. Ayame rolled her eyes and went back to her side of the room, taking out her school books. I changed my position to lay on my stomach and grabbed my headphones, plugging them in and placing them on my ears. I sighed deeply before alerting Gina that I'm ready and digging out my phone to call Urushihara. It took a while before he answered.

"Hey. Do you have Zkybe?" I said, getting straight to the point.

"_Uh, no_", came the somewhat annoyed reply.

"Well could you download it? Now?" I asked.

"_Guess I have to_", he said.

"My username's Hanahisa, you can find me with that", I informed.

"_Uh-huh_."

"Talk to ya online", I said and finished the phone call. I slipped the phone somewhere on my bed and stood up, moving myself and the computer to the studying desk. I placed down the laptop and found my mouse from the second drawer of the table, attaching it to the computer.

It took tens of minutes before I saw a contact request coming from "AngelGuy". I just knew that he had picked out the name to annoy me. Well, maybe not, but it sure was aggravating as shit. I said my hi's to him and added him into a conversation with me and Gina. Then I made a group call to them.

It was a short silence before anyone dared to speak.

"_I don't have headphones at the moment, so you're gonna have to listen to the echo of your own voices_", Urushihara spoke with his usual bored tone.

"Maou-san and Ashiya-san are listening?" I asked.

"_Probably... I'm in the closet though, so it muffles up the sound quite a bit_", he replied.

"_Soo... you're Urushihara-kun, right?_" Gina cheerily asked.

"_Yeah... hi_", Urushihara said.

"_It's so cool to meet you! I'm Gina Matsuoka!_" Gina introdused herself.

"_Matsuoka-san, then?_" he seemed to be making a note to himself.

"Shall we play?" I suggested as I double-clicked on the RoW shortcut.

"_Guess so_", Urushihara replied.

The playing went by surprisingly well even though there was some awkwardness in the beginning. Gina was continuosly asking personal guestions about Urushihara and our relationship and I was afraid Urushihara would click himself off the call any minute. Well, it would've been a good escape from the situation... We actually made a pretty good party in the game, though, and managed to achieve a lot together. Once it all ended, Gina even made us promise to play together again. After our call ended around eleven I went straight to bed without thinking about anything that had happened that day. It felt less painful that way...

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**It's shorter than usual... I know. xD I'm sorry, I was just soooo tired while writing this. Like, I walked 20km today... I felt like dying when I got back and almost moved my writing session to another day. So... any weirdness in there is because I can barely see straight right now. Hope you liked it and reviews would be as awesome as ever!**


	9. Chapter 8 - Girls' day out

**[A/N]**

**Here is your new CHAPTEEEEERRRR! I dunno. :'D Hope you enjoy!**

**EDIT:**

**I am so, so sorry! I totally forgot to add two minor details I had planned to put into the chapter... x_x' I added them now, but like I said, they're minor, so they don't really affect the story. It's just something I wanted to add but forgot. Sorry~!**

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><p><span>Chapter 8 – Girls' day out<span>

I woke up around ten in the morning and Ayame was pleasently surprised. I usually wake up late in the afternoon when it's the weekend. She probably would've ripped me out of bed if I hadn't woken up on my own, though, because she'd told me last weekend that she _needs_ to go shopping.

I rubbed my eyes and looked through my half of the closet for a proper outfit. Ayame's clothes were starting to take up my space, too... how come she says she never has nothing to wear? Look at these jeans - she has eight pairs. EIGHT PAIRS. That's just ridiculous to me. I can do fine with three.

"Are you sure we need to go...?" I asked while pushing some of her stuff back on her side.

"Yes, I'm sure. I really need some new shirts... do you think wine red would look good on me?" she asked while looking at herself through her phone's front camera. She was holding a red sock next to her face to compair colours. I rolled my eyes and took a cute blouse from one of my shelves. It was black and had ruffles on the neckline and sleeves.

"Should we call Gina-chan? You know I don't really care for being an arbiter of taste", I said and searched for the denim skirt I wore the other day. I wonder if it's somewhere on the floor... I closed the closet doors and searched through the trash.

"Yeah, sure. She's too nice about it, though... she doesn't say when something looks terrible", Ayame muttered and corrected her outfit. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a turquoise, loose shirt.

"Neither do I", I giggled, "you'd probably smack me if I did." I found the skirt and put it on. Then I slipped into the black shirt.

"Hah, you don't say it because you know you wear some weird-ass stuff", Ayame shot with a playful glare. "You should tie your hair, it's gonna get messy", she pointed out while brushing through her own blonde and red tresses.

"I know that... but thanks, _mom_", I teased and noticed my black ribbon on my studying table. I took it and tied my hair on a low ponytail. I really should buy some new pompoms while we're out.

"Tssk", Ayame chuckled and walked over to the door. She grabbed her dark brown bag from my chair and I found my black one from the floor. Luckily it was in a place I could easily see it. If it was near my bed I would probably never find it through the mess.

"We should clean up when we get back..." I noted and Ayame frowned.

"Do we have to~?" she asked pleadingly, holding on to the door handle.

"If I have to go shopping, you have to clean", I demanded.

"Ugh... _fine_!" she said as we left the room.

* * *

><p>We went to the nearby mall and searched through some of the clothing stores. The place was packed with people, since it was Saturday and all, but I managed. I looked through the stuff I liked the most and Ayame gave me weirded out looks. I huffed at her whenever she looked at me funny.<p>

"Wanna take a break?" Ayame suggested after about and hour of going through different varieties of clothes.

"A break sounds great", I replied and we walked out of a store and sat down on a bench in the middle of one of the main hallways. There were lots of different people passing by and I think I even saw some cosplayers. I leaned against Ayame and put down a small bag of nail polish and other accessories I found. She leaned back against me and searched through her own purchases. "What'd ya get?" I asked and looked at her from the corner of my eye.

"Uh, I bought a couple of tops... I showed you the grey shirt already", Ayame replied and yawned. "I also saw these great jeans-"

"_No more jeans_", I demanded and she looked at me with wide eyes. My glare was deadly.

"Uh, alright then..." she said and turned her head away from me. She dug out her phone and began texting. I wonder if it was to Nobuko – no, probably Etsuko... could be Gina, too, but I'm usually the one who contacts her. Anyways, why am I thinking this? I shook my head lightly and took out my own phone. I could play Jungle Rush a couple more levels.

Five to ten minutes passed before Ayame spoke again.

"She agrees with me", she said plainly. I stopped playing and turned to look at her.

"What? Who?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Gina-chan. She agrees that I should buy the jeans~", Ayame sang and showed me her text messages. I sighed.

"You have enough jeans already! It doesn't matter if Gina-chan agrees, you're not taking anymore of my closet space!" I hissed and stopped leaning on her.

"Well, you can tell that to her – she's on her way here", Ayame chuckled and put away her phone with an unexpected grace. I saw red, but swallowed my emotions.

"You're and asshole", I calmly said.

"Mm, yeah, likely", Ayame spoke as if she was pondering my statement in depth. I sighed and crossed my arms, pouting. She giggled at my actions.

"I'm gonna go and buy the jeans. Wait here for me, okay~?" she asked and I reluctantly nodded. Gina's always so forceful with her will, I knew I had no chance against her. I might as well let Ayame do as she pleases.

I leaned back in my seat and looked around the hallway. So many people around me... I didn't think I'd feel so beleagured without Ayame there. I shifted uncomfortably and zoned myself out, playing with my phone.

* * *

><p>I woke up from my trance when I felt a bump on my back. My phone slipped from my hands to the floor and I almost punched the person behind me.<p>

"How's it going, Hana-chan~?" Gina asked cheerily. "Sorry about that..." she chuckled as she let go of me, walking from behind my back to pick up my phone. She handed it to me as soon as she got it.

"You scared me half to death..." I sighed and took the phone, slipping it into my bag. "You're here already?"

"Well, my home is only a short walk from here", she replied and looked around, most likely searching for Ayame.

"Ayame's still in the store... the line must be long", I said and stood up, throwing my bag on my shoulder. I looked around me and picked up Ayame's shopping bags. "She collected all this stuff... wanna carry it?" I shoved the bags to Gina. "Thanks~!" Gina gave me a bored smile.

"Don't be lazy, Hana-chan", she giggled and gave me half of the bags. "You know I'm not gonna carry all of it."

"Fine, fine..." I took the bags and headed for the store I guessed Ayame had gone in. "This way."

* * *

><p>We walked over to the store and searched through it. We even checked the dressing booths for feet, but couldn't find Ayame. Maybe she already checked out? We checked the counters and outside the door. Could we have intersected? We checked the benches, too, but there was no Ayame.<p>

"I wonder where she went", I said and placed a hand on my hips.

"You probably got the store wrong", Gina sighed and took out her phone.

"Could be... are you calling her?" I asked.

"Yeah..." Gina said and lifted the phone to her ear. It took a while before she spoke again. "Hey, Ayame-chan~! Where the heck are you? We looked for you, but- … Oh, alright, we'll come over to... umm, which cafe? … Right, we'll be there soon. Bye." She slid her phone in the pocket of her dark green jeans. They made and interesting contrast against her electric blue shirt and hair.

"Well, where is she?" I asked a little irritated.

"Juuust follow me", Gina chuckled and pulled me with her through the hallway.

"Hey! Stop dragging me around!" I pulled myself from her grasp and she smirked at me.

* * *

><p>Gina and I made it through all the people, heading farther and farther into the mall. This was the part with all the cafeterias, restaurants and stuff. I rarely went there, since we usually only buy snacks on our way home. I looked around me and through all the delicious-smelling places.<p>

"Where are we going?" I asked Gina, distracting myself from the sightseeing.

"Ayame-chan told she met someone and ended up having coffee with them..." Gina chuckled. "Just follow me, the cafe is somewhere around... there!" she pointed to a dimly lit, closed off space at the end of a short hallway. Looks interesting. She walked over to the cafe and I followed her.

The place was very neat, decorated in shiny wood colours and candlelight. The songs playing in the backround were a little slower than your usual pop song. The tables looked all somehow very secretive – probably because they were surrounded by high sofas with lime green seats. Besides the candles there were lime green paper lamps hanging from the roof. The place was very atmospheric, and I happen to be a sucker for atmosphere. Here I'd definitely come again.

I looked through the tables and saw quite a few couples enjoying the cafe. Figures, since this seemed like a very date-like place to me.

"Oyy! Here!" Ayame called to us from a corner table. We headed over to her and immeadiately turned to look at the one sitting across from her.

"Sasaki-san", I said, a surprised expression accesorising my face.

"Nice to see you, Wakahisa-senpai", the redhead greeted with a wide smile.

"You too", I replied. She made room for me on the sofa and I sat next to her with a smile. Gina sat next to Ayame on the other side of the table. "Hope you don't feel too cornered..." I chuckled awkwardly. She shook her head.

"Chiho Sasaki, right? I'm Gina Matsuoka, a third-year", Gina introdused herself with a wide smile.

"Yeah, I know – it would be weird to be from Sasahata North and not know Matsuoka-senpai", Sasaki replied and placed both of her hands on the table. Gina seemed to be blushing.

"Oh, don't be like that... I'm not that special, to be honest", Gina stumbled and rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. She's always been a popular student and a part of the student council, but that's not what she's most known for. She's known for gathering lots of guys around her with her cheery attitude wherever she goes and that often sticks to other students' minds. You could say she's somewhat infamous amongst some of the female students. Many are jealous of her so called talent. I myself don't care that much, even though the attention wouldn't be _that _terrible to bear...

"So you ran into eachother in the store?" I asked both Sasaki and Ayame, leaning my chin against my left hand.

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't inform you right away... I was just surprised and it sort of slipped my mind", Ayame said.

"I thought Ayame-chan was done with shopping forever~", Gina teased.

"I think I even heard something like that from you..." I added.

"Pfft... well... new day, new thoughts", Ayame replied.

"I'm here waiting for Yusa-san and Kamazuki-san. I promised to go shopping with them last week, so... here I am", Sasaki spoke.

"Oh? You think they'll mind if we join you?" Ayame asked cheerily and I felt like glaring at her. I don't feel like hanging around other three girls and going through the same shops again. It's so hot in this place, too... and we can barely afford anything anymore. It's gonna be just circling around in an oven to no end.

"Huh? Who are these people you're talking about?" Gina raised a brow at us. Oh, right, she wasn't there when we met them.

"They're Urushihara-kun's friends", I said.

"Wait... you know Urushihara-san but not the others?" Sasaki seemed incredulous.

"Umm..." Gina scratched her head in confusion.

"Maybe I should explain things for the both of you..." Ayame began with a sigh. "See, Hana-chan knows Urushihara-kun from an online game... through him we got to know about Maou-san. Umm. We sold a painting to Maou-san... no, wait, we sold it to Urushihara-kun but Maou-san paid it. And then, umm, we had dinner at their place and met some nice people", she stumbled to the end, making representational hand motions while she did.

"And I met Kamazuki-san when I went to deliver the painting yesterday", I added. Sasaki blinked in confusion.

"Oh... so that's how it happened", Gina raised a brow. Was she catching on to our lie? No, that couldn't be it.

"Uh, by the way... why did Urushihara-san buy a painting from you?" Sasaki asked.

"Well, uh..." I pondered. We hadn't thought this through, it appears.

"Obviously because he has a crush on Hana-chan", Ayame purred. I just sat there completely frozen from shock. Ayame, _my_ Ayame had betrayed my trust and made me a target. How dare she?!

"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!" Sasaki leaned in closer to me and I flinched back, waking up from my trance.

"I knew it~! It makes so much sense..." Gina chuckled like a movie villain. Cold shivers ran up my spine. This is getting annoying way too fast... and it's making me blush, too! Goddamnit!

"Well, I guess a guy like him would find a girl like Wakahisa-senpai appealing..." Sasaki seemed to be muttering to herself. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Yeah... let's drop it for now, girls", Ayame suggested and gestured towards me. I was still blushing, wasn't I? Fuck. I placed a hand on my forehead and sighed.

* * *

><p>The next moments were pretty much filled with giggles and gossip. I couldn't really keep up with all the chit-chat, but I think it was mostly about boys and what was coming in on this spring's fashion. The conversation barely came relevant to me when they started talking about school, so I decided to pay attention for once.<p>

"So have you guys been studying hard?" Sasaki asked with a little more serious tone. She actually seemed pretty curious for a reason unknown to me.

"Yeah, I at least have been. History and arts are going well for me!" Ayame gave the redhead a double thumbs up.

"Me too, but not that much to be honest. There's still a month before the exams", Gina said and fluffed her hair. I blinked. Wait... they're not talking about our finals, are they? They're next month already?

"Well, it's not that bad... Hana-chan probably hasn't even opened her books yet", Ayame joked and looked at me. I blinked again.

"No... I guess I haven't", I simply said and she raised a brow at that. Gina seemed to be a little surprised at my reaction, too. Usually I react with cold stares when school comes up. I guess it's all just so sudden... we're third years after all. We'll be leaving Sasahata North soon.

The conversation slowed down, but didn't completely die. The words went past my ears like they normally did and I just kept staring at the table top. It's so weird... nothing's really changed like that since we came to this world with Ayame. Well, if I don't include meeting Satan and his gang, of course. I chuckled at my thoughts. "Satan and his gang." I couldn't help but imagine loose gangsta hoodies and caps on all three demons, going around spray painting walls and saying "yo" a couple of times in every sentence. I chuckled again, this time a little louder. The other girls gave me weird looks.

"She's so high", Gina sighed.

"Who's high?" came a familiar voice from my left. I turned to look at the rose-haired, emerald-eyed woman standing next to our table. Hero Emilia was standing there, wearing a yellow tunic and a brown pencil skirt.

"Sasaki-dono, I'm glad to see you again", a young girl wearing a dark yukata spoke. Kamazuki was standing next to the Hero – eh, Emi Yusa. "You too, Wakahisa-dono."

"Me too", Sasaki replied to the girl.

"I'm Ayame Honda", Ayame smiled at the girl. "The one next to me is Gina Matsuoka. Nice to meet you, Kamazuki-san."

"Yeah, nice to meet you!" Gina said and waved at the two.

"I'm Emi Yusa", Yusa introdused herself to Gina with a smile. Then she turned to look at Sasaki again. "Are we going?"

"Yeah... you don't mind if they tag along, do you?" Chiho asked, referring to me, Ayame and Gina.

"I don't, at least. It always nice to meet new interesting people", Kamazuki spoke with an adorable smile. She reminded me of a kitten of some sort. I constantly had to remind myself she's an assassin or I'd forget it.

"I don't mind, either", Yusa said and gestured for us to leave. "C'mon, I don't think this cafe's staff is too happy you're not buying anything." We chuckled a bit before leaving our table and heading for the stores again. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

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><p>We went through the stores – some of them we'd already been to, like I guessed – in a huge group, looking at different kinds of clothes and laughing at stupid jokes. It was surprisingly fun hanging around in such a big group. Everyone seemed to be in weird harmony even concidering our differing personalities. I think it was an hour or two before I finally broke out of my bubble of happy thoughts.<p>

"What do you think of this one?" Kamazuki asked for probably the millionth time. She was holding a green yukata with pink flower patterns on it. Where does she even find so many?

"Well... I don't know about the green on you", Yusa pondered. "What do you think, Wakahisa-san?" I flinched at my name being called.

"Uh, I don't know too much about clothes... I think it's a pretty one", I said and went through some shirts. Why'd I have to be the one closest to them?

"You might be right about the green, Yusa-dono. It's the wrong choice for me", Kamazuki said, facing a large store mirror. I followed the conversation from where I was incase I was spoken to again.

"You should try this cute dress, you know – it matches with your hair and all", Yusa said, offering Kamazuki a dark grey pin-up dress. "Look, isn't it cute?"

"Well... I don't know if it's really... I mean..." Kamazuki spoke. Yusa shoved her the dress and smiled. Kamazuki sighed and looked at it again.

Suddenly Yusa's gaze turned to me and I flinched back. She gave me and assuring smile before walking over to me and leaning on the clothes rack I was looking through.

"So... about Matsuoka-san. Does she know about us?" Yusa looked at me with serious eyes as she presented the question. I shook my head.

"No, she doesn't", I said. I probably should've asked about Sasaki as well, but it sort of slipped my mind.

"Alright. It didn't seem like it, but I wanted to make sure..." the rose-head spoke and leaned back from the rack.

"Don't worry, our secret's safe", I assured. I hoped it was enough to convince her. She simply nodded and backed away from me, turning to speak with Kamazuki again.

I stopped watching them when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to face the one behind me. Sasaki was standing there, showing me a blue top.

"Do you think this is a little too revealing?" she asked and studied the cloth in her hands. Indeed, it seemed to be a little brave – but she could pull it off, no doubt.

"I... If you like it, you should buy it..." I simply said, offering her a smile. She smiled back with a faint blush.

"Do you think... do you think Maou-san would like it?" she asked, fiddling with her skirt's hem. She seemed to be pretty honest about her crush to me... it made me feel so uncomfortable. I don't like openly expressed feelings.

"Well, maybe", I said, still smiling. It was mostly a fake smile by now. Sasaki gave me a nod, beginning to go through some other clothes.

"Maybe I should pick something a bit more casual", she said to herself. She obviously knew more about these things than I. I sighed, a little embarrased of my ignorance of fashion. I'm a girl, I should think about these things more. Gah!

"Umm, have you seen Ayame-chan or Gina-chan around?" I asked Sasaki. Maybe I could find a safe place with my closest friends. I felt somewhat exposed among these half-familiar people.

"I think I saw them at the dressing booths", Sasaki said and I nodded, heading for the given direction.

* * *

><p>I found my way between shelves and people, pushing through all the way to the dressing booths. I stopped to them and sighed in relief after getting through all the chaos. The mall was still so friggin' packed with people. Where'd they keep coming from?<p>

I was just about to walk into the waiting area of the booths when I heard two voices discussing.

"...so, yeah, that's why I... kinda fear the dark", Gina said somewhat embarrased. I raised a brow.

"Oh... that's kinda sad. I'm sorry", Ayame replied. "To be completely honest... I've never liked the dark, either."

"You haven't?" Gina asked, surprise in her voice.

"No... not after..." Ayame trailed off. "Well, uh, some stuff happened with my sister and... I haven't been in good terms with her after that." Sister...? What sister? When'd she get one of those?

"You have a sister?" Gina paused for a second. "I didn't know... you wanna tell me?"

"I'm sorry, I'd rather not go into detail", Ayame chuckled a little absently. That's when I backed away from the booths. I turned my back to them, walking a little farther away.

Ayame has a sister? Why hasn't she ever said anything to me? I've known her far longer than Gina. And besides, when did they get so close? I've always been the link between them. Now they're sharing sappy stories in a clothing store? What the heck?

I took a deep breath. Clearly I was overreacting. It was only natural for them to get close after all this time and it was also natural for me to feel jealous. I should calm down. Maybe there's a reason Ayame hasn't mentioned her sister to me. But still... I looked back over to the booths. I shook the doubt out of my head and turned to look at the three other women still going through clothes. I should give Gina and Ayame some time... they seemed to be bonding and stuff. I walked over to the other three with a languorous feeling nibbling at my chest.

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**Dialogue is so hard to write! Aaagh! My anti-sociality really isn't helping with it, either! WHAT THE HECK DO PEOPLE TALK ABOUT WHEN THEY CHAT?! XD I feel a little hyper... maybe it's because it's 2:28 in the morning for me. There's school tomorrow. Heh. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll see you again this weekend! Reviews would be awesome!**


	10. Chapter 9 - Not for your entertainment

**[A/N]**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**There are some things I'd like to mention. I did edits in chapters 1 and 7, I added the conversations where Ayame calls Gina and then later Urushihara. I think it makes more sense that we hear what she's hearing, since this is from her perspective. I also wanted to gain a new feature of story telling. x3 I'm using it on this chapter, too.**

**Another thing I edited about all the chapters it's mentioned in, is the "McRonald's"-name. I switched it to MgRonald's, like it's supposed to be. That's all, you can keep on reading now! :)**

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><p><span>Chapter 9 – Not for your entertainment<span>

The days flew by quickly. Before I even knew it the day I spent out shopping belonged to last week and I was back in school again. Sadly, unlike the days, the classes didn't go by as fast. I mostly just scribbled into my notebooks every class, trying to look busy. Ayame would occasionally join me, but she actually mostly paid attention and... you know, learned stuff. That's not all – she was keeping herself busy with school work outside of school, too. More than usual, in my opinion. She seemed to be very set up on getting through the finals with high scores.

Now it was math class and the teacher was babbling about some simple formulas we'd gone over a couple of times already. I was once again scribbling in my notebook, making a pretty nice-looking chibi of a zombie. The combination of it's rottened look, bloody teeth and cute, huge eyes made me giggle against my hand. I collected a couple of annoyed stares and shut up immediately, blushing. I drew a couple more lines and looked at my finished drawing. It was surprisingly good for my work and I felt an urge to present it to someone. Luckily my blonde friend was sitting right next to me.

"Oy, Ayame", I whispered and tugged the sleeve of her shirt. She looked at me from the corner of her eye. "Wanna see what I drew?" I asked with a smile.

"Wanna shut up?" she coldly replied and shook my hand off. I blinked. That was... I don't know if rude is the right word, since I was actually bothering her, but... I don't know, I feel this weird twist inside my stomach.

I backed away from Ayame and leaned against my desk. I stared at the drawing for a moment before turning the page in my notebook and starting to scribble something else. Tsk, I didn't know she was _that_ interested in math...

* * *

><p>After some more hours the school day was over on my part and I returned to the dormitories. I walked into our dormitory and up the stairs, all the way to our room. I entered and threw my bag on my bed. The room was clear of the mess that had been consuming it before last weekend. I'd indeed gotten Ayame to clean up with me, as odd as it sounds. I sighed when I noticed a paper wrapper of a chocolate bar on the floor near Ayame's bed. I walked over to it and threw it in the trash can at the end of the bookshelf.<p>

"Honey, I'm home", I joked, still annoyed about Ayame in the math class. I felt stupid about it, and I had to let out the anger in some form. For me it was this one, simple sentence. It actually really helped.

I sighed in relief and walked over to the closet, picking up my outfit for the day. I didn't feel like dressing up today. How come such a small act from the stupid blonde affected my mood so much? Wait, did I just call Ayame stupid in my thoughts? I don't remember ever doing that before. I feel like a teenager rebelling against her parents.

I picked out my black skirt and green and white striped shirt again. It was one of my favourite outfits even though Ayame bashed it from time to time. The skirt's tight and the shirt's pretty loose with puffy sleeves and it reveals a little bit of stomach. Sometimes I wear a black see-through top under the shirt and that's when she mostly comments on my stylistic choices. I should do that today. I picked up the see-through top with a smirk.

* * *

><p>A door opened and closed as Ayame entered our dorm room. She walked over to her bed and collapsed on it. I followed her movements from my bed, Hearthrock opened up on the computer in front of me.<p>

"Hard day?" I asked and turned to my game, setting the volume low. Getting up and walking over to my headphones felt like too much effort.

"Yeah..." she replied and yawned. Silence fell for a moment, only the quiet sounds of my game echoing in the room. Ayame got up from her bed and walked over to the closet. She changed into her new, dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt. Then she turned to look at me for a second.

"I see you're wearing your typical man-hunting outfit", she chuckled with obvious sarcasm.

"What's wrong with my man-hunting outfit?" I asked with a practised cool.

"Oh, nothing..." Ayame chuckled again. "It's just, you know, it's supposed to _attract_ the opposite sex – not make them run away in disgust." I gave her an annoyed sigh.

"Well I guess I'll just have to chase women then", I argued.

"I fear it's gonna have worse effect on them", she replied with a sly smile, sitting on her bed and digging out books from her school bag. "They'll scream and jump of a high building. I mean I would, at least."

"I hope you realize you don't have access to your wings. You're gonna miss out on all of this..." I gestured my body with playful exaggeration, "...if you die." Ayame burst into chuckles and after a short while I joined her. Why was I mad at her again...?

"I guess so", she said, piling up the books on her studying table and sitting in front of it, turning her back to me. I smiled by myself and turned back to my game. "I'm sorry about the class, by the way", she said, turning her head slightly towards me. "I just... really wanted to pay attention. I wanna pass the finals, you know."

"Nah, it's nothing", I lazily replied. "Why are you so keen on passing, though?" I asked in a way like the whole consept of school was foreign to me.

"I just do", Ayame firmly replied. It made me raise a brow. "I kind of wonder why you don't", she said, turning to look at me on her chair. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I dunno, it just doesn't feel that important to me..." I replied as truthfully as I could. I'd never really wondered why exactly I wasn't that interested in it, I was more interested in why others were. I can see now that it goes pretty much the same way on both sides.

"Huh", Ayame simply replied and turned back to her homework. Why do I get this feeling there's something she isn't telling me? Wouldn't be the first time, after all. I brushed off the feeling and returned my attention to the game.

* * *

><p>About an hour of Ayame studying and me playing passed. I groaned in defeat as my opponent crushed my hero.<p>

"You really suck at that game, don't you?" Ayame commented from her homework.

"Well, on my defense, that guy was really, _really_ good! I don't know how or where he got all those spell cards, but I wanna get my hands on them!" I ranted. "I mean, seriously, how can you do that much damage with only three manas?!"

"Good guestion..." Ayame sighed.

"Of course you wouldn't understand", I sighed in return. I looked around in the room, a little tired of losing every other match. Maybe there was something else to do besides being on the computer. "Hey, wanna go to MgRonald's for a burger?" I suggested.

"No, I really don't. I need to study, Hana-chan", Ayame said. I heard the sound of a page turning. I frowned, thinking of something else to rip her away from her books.

"Well... maybe we could paint something together", I said almost innocently. This time she gave me a look, but it didn't seem to work either. She went back to her work as soon as she realized she had stopped. "You're so boring now", I complained. She just chuckled and continued her studying. I changed my position on the bed a couple of times before finally sitting up. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Great. More peace and quiet for me!" Ayame celebrated, raising both of her arms towards the roof. I gritted my teeth.

"Fuck you too", I chuckled and made my way to my bag, checking everything I needed was there. "Bye", I said as I grabbed the door handle. Ayame waved at me from her table before I left the room.

* * *

><p>I checked my phone and the time seemed to be at five twelve - dinner time. I walked through the streets with an absent look on my face as I looked at my phone. Most of the outside world went right past me when I walked. It usually did. I saw tall buildings and some people walking past me from the corners of my eyes, but otherwise my focus was on the screen. Not playing a game, no, I was looking through my contacts. I was bored out of my mind and some company was definitely needed. I could already imagine Ayame's words in my mind: "You? Being both healthy with your walking <em>and<em> being social?"

I looked at the possible people I could be spending time with. The first and obvious solution would be Gina, I guess. I selected her phone number - since it was right there I didn't feel the need to type it, like I usually did – and called it. She picked up pretty quickly.

"Hi, Gina-chan! What's up?" I asked, trying to sound cheery.

"_Don't talk like that, it's creepy_..." she replied. I rolled my eyes.

"But _you're_ the one who always wants me to act happy", I said with an agitated tone.

"_Yeah, yeah, I know... but now I'm not sure if I should've_", Gina replied. I gritted my teeth in annoyment. "_Anyways, is there something you wanted to talk about? I'm a little busy right now, so if it isn't importan_t..." she trailed off.

"Oh, you're busy? What're you doing?" I asked, raising a brow.

"_It's, um, it's Nobuko-san..._" Gina seemed to be lowering her voice. It sounded like she was walking over to somewhere and closing a door. What the hell's going on? "_She... she's having trouble with her new boyfriend. Usually it's Etsuko-san or Ayame-chan who takes care of her like this, but Ayame's occupied with studying and Etsuko's at work._"

"So Etsuko-san got the job at the library?" I asked. "No, wait, that's beside the point... what happened between Nobuko-san and the guy?" Gina paused for a second before replying.

"_Wow, I can't believe you've actually been listening to what I say, Hana-chan. Usually you just space out when I start talking_", Gina said. What?! She new about that? Well... oops. I rubbed my temple in embarrasment, even if she couldn't see it. "_Anyway, Nobuko-san thinks the guy might be with her because of a bet of some sort... it's pretty bad. I'm sorry, I really have to go back to her now..._"

"Oh", I said. Nobuko's situation sounds pretty interesting to me. I kind of understand why Ayame and Gina like gossiping about her now. "Well, bye then, I guess."

"_I'll talk to you later. Bye_", Gina said and a loud beep ended the phone call. I lowered the phone from my ear and looked at the screen again. Well, now it's four people I can't hang out with: Ayame's studying, Etsuko's at work, Nobuko's crying about her problems and Gina's comforting her. Great. I looked through the rest of the names on my phone. Some service numbers, Maou, Yusa, Urushihara...

I paused at Urushihara's name and stared at it for a little while, stopping completely. My thumb moved on the "call"-button, but I pulled it back right away and flipped the lilac phone closed, shaking my head. No, I don't have the courage to do that. I looked up from my closed phone, slipping it into my bag. I chuckled when I realized I'd walked over to MgRonald's and looked at the flickering sign on top of the place.

Should I go in? I mean, I'm not that hungry, but I could buy a soda or something. I'm a little thirsty, after all. No, buying one from a store would be cheaper. I turned around to head for our regular store, but stopped on my tracks when I saw a redheaded girl in a pink shirt and a denim skirt. She walked from MgRonald's' side door (I guessed) to the street. She was looking through the contents of her bag with a focused expression.

"Oh, hey, Sasaki-san!" I waved. What a coincidence – just as I was in need of company. Not my first choice, but will do. The redhead looked up from her bag to me and smiled.

"Hello, Wakahisa-senpai", she greeted and took out her phone from the bag. I walked over to the other girl.

"Pfft, just call me Hana-san. I'm hardly worth the title of senpai", I chuckled.

"Oh, are you sure?" she asked and I nodded as a response. "Well then, Hana-san, how are you?" she asked with that adorable smile of hers. Gosh, I could just eat her up like a cupcake. "Oh, and you can call me Chiho-chan, if you want to."

"Uh, a little bored", I admitted. "I needed to get away from Ayame-chan. She's going crazy with her studying and it's kind of annoying."

"I think Hana-san should be studying hard, too. Your finals are in less than a month", Chiho pointed out. I gave her a broken smile.

"Yeah, they are", I said. Silence fell and I suddenly remembered why I don't socialize. I don't know how to talk to the people that aren't my close friends. What should I say? Should I comment about the weather, or-

"I'm going over to Maou-san's house", Chiho unknowingly interrupted my train of though. "Do you wanna come with me?" she suggested. Well, I guess I have nothing better to do.

"Why not", I replied and we started making our way towards Villa Rosa Sasazuka, side by side. "So, you have some business with Maou-san?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Uh, well, I..." Chiho blushed a little. I'd almost forgotten she has a huge crush on Maou. "I was picking up his phone from MgRonald's, actually. He forgot it there today and since my shift ended later than his, he called me from Urushihara-san's phone and asked if I could bring it for him." She seemed to be happy about Maou trusting the task in guestion to her. Such a small act made such and impact on her, huh? Love is strange.

"How come you just asked me to come with you to Maou-san's place? Aren't you afraid I'll try to hit on him?" I teased. She gave me a wide smile.

"Haha, I know you won't! I know you're more interested in Urushihara-san", Chiho said, looking at me with sly eyes. Where'd her cuteness suddenly go?! "I guessed you wanted a reason to go to Castle Overlord, too", she continued. Maou calls it that in front of her? Why does she like him again?

"'Castle Overlord'?" I chuckled. Suddenly the redhead went a little uneasy.

"Uh, y-yeah. Maou-san's pretty bad at giving nicknames to things..." Chiho's eyes trailed off from me and she seemed to have gone really nervous, as if she'd said something wrong. Could it be that she knew about Maou and the rest, after all? But she wouldn't be hanging out with them then, would she? I mean, I am, but I'm an angel. It's different! It's... it's actually worse, now that I think about it.

"Umm..." I began. Maybe I should push her a little farther before asking anything too weird. "He named his bicycle Dullahan, too. He's into some weird-ass stuff, isn't he? Like... I dunno... demonic stuff", I spoke. I'm doing pretty well at this, it seems.

"U-uh... I don't know... I mean, I suppose he is..." Chiho stumbled. This, if nothing, was a clear sign for me to proceed.

"So... Chiho-chan, you ever heard about Ente Isla?" I asked, brushing back my hair. If she didn't know, she'd probably think it's a book or something. Chiho, however, jumped at the question and stopped walking. I stopped as soon as she did.

"HUH? You know about Ente Isla, Hana-san?!" Chiho asked, hands squeezed into fists. Oh, so she does know. That means our lies were for nothing! How annoying.

"So you know too...?" I asked, like it wasn't obvious already. "About Maou-san and the rest? That they're actually Satan and his generals?" Chiho nodded.

"I also know about Yusa-san and Kamazuki-san", she replied. "I found out about it when-" she cut herself off. "No, wait, how do _you_ know about them?" she asked, pointing at me.

"Uh, eh, I..." I felt uneasy looking at her in the eye. "I'm actually an angel..." I chuckled nervously. Chiho blinked a couple of times in confusion.

"You're not here to cause them trouble, are you?" Chiho asked with a demanding tone that made me back off a bit. How could a girl so cute waver me like that? She must really love Maou!

"No, I'm not! I don't think I could if I wanted to", I assured the girl, waving my hands in front of me. Her scary look soon turned into a smile.

"Oh... I'm sorry, it's just, angels usually cause trouble for them", Chiho said, rubbing the back of her head. "How come no one told me about you?" she asked almost a little depressed.

"They probably just didn't want to cause any trouble for us... I don't think it has anything to do with... um..." I tried to find the right words to calm down the situation. I don't want to see her down just because of me and Ayame. I don't think that'd look good on me. "Oh, maybe they just didn't come to think of it."

"Maou-san didn't come to think of telling me..." Chiho half-muttered and began walking again. I followed her example with a worried expression. I did this, didn't I? "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to mope around Hana-san!" she suddenly said, looking at me with an apologetic expression. "I'm sure you're right, it's most likely nothing!" she said, a smile on her lips. I guessed it was fake even though it looked very convincing to me. I didn't do this after all – it was Maou.

"Yeah", I replied. We walked most of the way in silence, sometimes commenting on something we saw or heard on the way. I even got to say something about the weather.

* * *

><p>We walked up the stairs to Villa Rosa – as carefully as we could, of course – and entered the hallway. We walked over to the door 201 and Chiho hesitated before knocking. We heard footsteps nearing the door before it opened.<p>

"Oh good, you're here, Sasaki-san. And... Wakahisa-san", the blond-haired male looked at me with narrowed eyes. Shit, I forgot I didn't make that great of a first-impression on him. Stealing from a guy probably doesn't make them fall head-over-heels for you. Not that I wanted him to, though. The "uptight housewife"-type might not go that well with me.

"Uh, hi", I greeted, raising a hand like I was about to wave. The blond ignored me and turned to Chiho again.

"By all means, come in", he said and moved out of the doorway, letting Chiho through. He looked at me with those narrowed eyes again before letting me inside. I returned his glare.

"Hey, Chii-chan. Did you bring it?" Maou asked, walking over to the redhead. Ashiya closed the door and walked over to the dishes. They'd just had dinner, it seemed.

"I did", Chiho said, digging out Maou's phone from her bag and giving it to him with a smile. "Here you go~."

"Thanks again, I really appreciate it. There might be an emergency somewhere", Maou replied and it made Chiho blush.

"Of course I'll help whenever you need me to", the redhead sang. Their chit-chat continued as I looked around in the room, sort of zoning out again. Urushihara was doing something on the computer like he usually did. The painting I brought over to "Castle Overlord" was now hanging on a wall and it looked like it was staring at Urushihara with it's scary eyes. I walked a little closer to the purple-haired guy to look at the painting from his angle.

"That painting always scared the shit out of me. How can you stand it?" I asked him. The NEET turned his eyes from his computer screen to me. His look was apathetic to say the least.

"Ashiya suggested they'd point it at me 'to _motivate_ me to do some work'", Urushihara said, making quotation marks with his fingers. "It just creeps me out, to be honest."

"...about Hana-san?" I heard the end of Chiho's sentence, noticing my name being mentioned. I turned to look at her and Maou, crossing my arms.

"I- uh. I just didn't come to think of telling you", Maou said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh... is that so?" Chiho asked, obviously a little disappointed in the answer. For some reason the reaction went straight over Maou's head, though.

"Well it isn't like business from our world really should concern you, anyway", Maou added, worsening the situation he was in. He still didn't seem to realize what he was saying.

"Oh... I guess so..." Chiho's depression kept on growing. What the hell are you doing, Maou?

"Besides, I didn't really want to mess up Wakahisa-san's and her friends' lives that much", he added. Oh my God, how stupid can you be?

"Oh..." Chiho was pouting. Why do I feel so guilty right now?

"And to add-" Maou began, but was cut off.

"Maou, don't you realize you're making Chiho feel like she's not an important part of your life?" Urushihara lazily commented from his computer. That made Chiho go red.

"Huh?" Maou scratched his head in confusion.

"W-what are you saying, Urushihara-san?! Such weird things come out of your mouth sometimes!" Chiho yelled, hands squeezed into fists once more.

"Well, it's true that you love-" Urushihara began teasing, but got cut off by a flip phone flying against his forehead. "OUCH! What the hell did you do THAT for?!" he yelled, rubbing his forehead with one hand. I just watched the situation in front of me, blinking in confusion. Did they normally act like this?

"For disrespecting your guests!" Chiho yelled, face red from not only embarrasment, but also rage.

"That's gonna leave a mark!" Urushihara yelled back, hand still on the spot he'd been hit on. "Ahh!" he complained as he accidentally pressed it a little too hard. He looked kind of cute like that.

"Calm down, princess – just take a bag of something frozen from the freezer and press is against your forehead", Ashiya instructed from the kitchen-area.

"Fuck you, housewife!" Urushihara yelled at the blond man. Ashiya looked at him with the same narrowed eyes he'd looked at me earlier.

"What did you just say?" he replied.

"Guys, guys! We have guests, remember?" Maou tried calming down the situation. Suddenly every person in the room turned to look at me and I flinched at that.

"Ah, right... I'm sorry", Ashiya said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Then he turned back to the dishes.

"Pfft." Urushihara got up from his spot in front of the computer and reluctantly walked over to the freezer, finding something to put on his forehead. Chiho picked up her phone from the floor, checking if it was still intact. I just stood there for a while, going through what just happened in my head.

"Umm... uh, come to think of it, you didn't tell us about Chiho-chan, either... it would've saved us from some embarrassing moments", I said to Maou.

"Ah, well... she didn't seem like something I should mention", Maou said. Urushihara smacked a hand against his forehead and yelped in pain when he realized his fail. Ashiya looked at him with a satisfied smile. Chiho's expression was one of a zombie now. She reminded me a little bit of the chibi I drew earlier. The whole scene almost made me chuckle, but I held it in. These guys. These guys were pretty freaking entertaining.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]**

**Whoo! Hope you liked this chapter! It seems to end like, a little unfinished, since I decided once again to split it. Anyways, the story is slowly taking itself to the right direction. :3 See you somewhere next week and reviews would be appreciated, like always!**


	11. Chapter 10 - Butterflies

**[A/N]**

**Be ready for a lot of blushing this chapter! :3 Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><span>Chapter 10 – Butterflies<span>

The time was nearing seven o'clock and I was still at the demons' place. Chiho and Maou had been chatting about work for quite a while now and I really didn't have anything to add into the conversation. Ashiya seemed to be done with his chores for the day and was sitting at the table with us, but avoided speaking to or even looking at me.

I don't think anyone at the table was paying much attention to me, so I turned my head to look at the NEET in front of the computer. Maybe I could watch him play or something - that way I wouldn't die of boredom. I could also leave, but then I would be without company again, and I was really in the need of some at the moment.

I crawled away from the table, stopping for a second before sitting next to Urushihara. No one said a word about me moving, so I crawled next to the fallen angel. He looked at me from the corner of his eye.

"What're you playing?" I asked. He sighed, apparently thinking of me as a bother. I decided I wouldn't leave unless he told me to.

"This game where you build things out of blocks... it's pretty childish, but it's fun", he said with a monotone voice, barely noting my existence.

"Oh, I have that downloaded. CaveCraft, am I right?" I asked and he simply nodded. I watched for a second as he put down purple wool blocks. "Ayame-chan almost didn't let me buy it, but I showed her the trial version and she got addicted. She stole my computer for days, and-"

"_Buy_? Did I hear right, Urushihara? You _bought_ something with Maou-sama's money?" Ashiya spoke from the table with a scary tone that made me shiver. The look in his eyes was fairly dangerous as he walked from the table to tower over Urushihara. The purple-haired demon looked at me with anger. I gave him an apologetic smile and shrugged. "How much exactly did this something cost?"

"Not much – get off me!" Urushihara yelled to the blond man and shoved him back. A single drop of sweat could be seen on his temple.

"You know you're not allowed to buy anything from the internet!" Ashiya yelled, pointing a finger at the shorter demon. Maou sighed, watching the situation from afar with Chiho.

"Don't be such a pain in the ass, Ashiya. It's not that big of a deal", Urushihara replied, turning halfway back towards his game.

"No, you don't go saying that same garbage again! We use that money for food, you know!" Ashiya continued his rambling. It appeared it was Maou's turn to speak again.

"Listen, the both of you! I already said you should continue fighting when our guests have taken their leave", Maou said, staring at the two intensly. At that moment something inside Ashiya's head seemed to snap.

"OH, certainly, Maou-sama! I will be quiet and act politely in front of the one who STOLE from us, and besides that, is our _natural enemy_! I'll act very nicely in front of her, I'll make sure to! I'll even buy her flowers for the next time she visits! Oh, and I'll gladly try and scrape something together for dinner with the huge amounts of money you and Lucifer use on useless junk, like games and movies! I'll gladly watch while you have your fun and I'm stuck here cleaning and cooking week to week, not knowing if I'll ever be done with it or if you even have a plan anymore! I'll be sure to do all that just for you, Maou-sama! After all, I _am_ your loyal servant!" the blonde screamed at Maou, making over-exaggerated hand motions as he spoke. No, this is too much. I should've left while I was still able to... Maou stood up and gritted his teeth together.

"First of all, she gave the money back. Second of all, I do have a plan! And I have to work hard, too! I bring the money to the table and you know that! A life of a MgRonald's employee isn't that easy either!" Maou was raising his voice too, making similar hand motions to Ashiya.

"Well, if you bring the money to the table, why don't you also take better care of it! You know our money situation, but you still let Urushihara do his share of spending! Why is that, Maou-sama?!" Ashiya replied, growing visibly angrier every second.

"You know exactly why!" Maou replied. Urushihara was following the conversation with odd interest, raising a brow at the raven-haired man's words. Ashiya moved his gaze to the floor, holding back his yelling.

"Maybe we should all c-calm down..." Chiho suggested from her seat, standing up next to Maou.

"I'm going for a walk", Ashiya hissed and walked over to the door, putting on his shoes. Leaving the battlefield, huh? I'd do the same I suppose.

"I'm coming with you", Maou said, to my surprise. The blond man didn't look at the other one, just stood there and waited. Maou put on his shoes as Ashiya left the aparment. "This might take a while..." Maou said before opening the door. "You can help yourselves to the fridge – except for you, Urushihara – if you want. If you're gonna stay, I mean." The man's eyes were on me when he spoke his last sentence.

"I'll leave with you, Maou-san", Chiho said, waking up from a shock of some degree. I simply smiled at her when she looked at me.

"I... I'll leave in a minute", I said to her. She eyed first me and then Urushihara, nodding. Then she walked over to the door, collected her shoes and left. Maou closed the door behind them. "Well... that was something", I awkwardly said as I turned around to face Urushihara. He was staring at me, probably surprised I didn't leave at the same time they did. I felt my face heat up slightly as I blushed. "U-um..."

"Was there something you needed...?" Urushihara asked somewhat awkwardly and turned back to his game. I flinched at the question.

"U-uh, not really, I just..." I rubbed the back of my head, looking away from the other angel. "I... I feel like that was my fault. I'm sorry", I sighed, looking at Urushihara from the corner of my eye. He looked back to me. "Does that hurt, by the way?" I asked, referring to the bruise on his forehead. Chiho's phone really _had_ left a mark.

"Uh... no, it's fine..." he said, turning to look away from me again. Was he maybe... just maybe... blushing too? "I think Ashiya's been about to have a breakdown for a while now..." he said as casually as he could. "He's been complaining about things more, I think. Well, I haven't really paid that much attention... but I've felt his glares increase in the past few months."

"I-is that so?" I stuttered, somewhat relieved. "I'm still sorry I busted you, though..." I nervously chuckled.

"It's fine", he quickly replied, still avoiding eye-contact with me. There was a short silence before one of us spoke again.

"U-um... so... I was just thinking..." I said, trying to play off the awkwardness. It didn't help much, considering what I was about to say next. "When we played together last Friday... I thought it was fun..." I drifted off a bit and this time I caught him blushing, even if just slightly. "I-I just thought maybe you'd wanna play again... like... tomorrow, maybe?" It was originally Gina's suggestion that we'd play again, but for a while now I'd been wanting to do it, too. We really made a good team on RoW.

"Well... I kinda promised you then, I guess... so why not", he said. Why the hell are we both so awkward? This is making my nervousness grow.

"Cool", I replied. Silence fell again after that and I bet my cheeks were rose-red by now. There were just too many reasons for me to go and hop under a train. And what were these weird butterflies in my stomach? I couldn't be... I shook off the thought as soon as it came. "I-I guess I'm gonna head home now", I said with a fake smile and stood up.

"Talk to you tomorrow, I guess", Urushihara replied. He'd apparently managed to shake off most of his embarrasment, since his tone was back to monotone.

"Yeah", I replied, putting on my shoes and leaving the apartment. As soon as I walked out I almost ran through the hallway and on the stairs. I stood at the top of the staircase, back leaning against the hallway door. My heart was racing a little.

Ugh, gather your thoughts, you weakling! You shouldn't be thinking nor acting like a teenaged girl! I slapped myself on the cheek. Better head home before my train of thought runs over me and leaves me in a coma. I took a deep breath, walking down the stairs. However, on the fourth step...

I slipped. The step had given in a little more than I assumed, and before I even knew it, I was flying down the metal stairs. My hands were reached out towards the top of the staircase, looking for something to grab on. Sadly, there was nothing for me to grab and I fell all the way down to the cold, hard ground. I felt it especially well on my back as it hit the ground first, my legs landing against the staircase. I shrieked in sudden pain, squeezing my eyelids closed for a second.

The next time I opened my eyes I saw Urushihara staring at me from the top of the stairs. I felt heat rush to my cheeks as soon as I saw him, forcing my body to sit up and crawl a little farther away from him.

"I heard you fall down... are you alright?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. I pulled my knees a little closer to my chest, as if to protect myself from the look he was giving me. It was a mix of boredom, annoyance and curiosity all together.

"A little bruised... but alive", I replied, smiling. He smirked at me.

"I was wondering when you'd fall down... every girl visiting here has", he said, leaning against the door frame.

"Is that so?" I chuckled, getting up the best I could and collecting my bag from the ground. I looked through it's insides, making sure nothing was broken.

"Well... I'm gonna go back now", he said, looking into the hallway. "Bye."

"Bye", I replied, waving at him as he disappeared inside the building. He was undeniably... cute.

* * *

><p>After I left the demons' stronghold I went back to the dormitory. Ayame was done with her studying for the day and I got a friend to do something with. She was, however, tired from all the work she'd done and fell asleep in the middle of an episode of The Moving Dead. She didn't even make fun of my "<em>social butterfly<em>-ness", or ask about the bruises on my legs. It kind of left me disappointed.

The day ended and a new one began. I went to school, like I always do (well, almost always) and got back to the dormitory. I almost forgot I'd asked Urushihara to play with me and Gina again, but as soon as I remembered, a blush appeared on my cheeks.

I dialed in Gina's number from memory and called it.

"Hi... you're free, right?" I asked a little reluctantly. She still didn't know I'd asked Urushihara.

"_Only for you~_", a playful voice teased. I sighed. "_What's up?_"

"...wanna play RoW again?" I asked after a long pause.

"_What, what, whaaaat?! Did you ask Urushihara-kun?_" Gina giggled.

"I-I did. I think we three make a good team..." I said.

"_Aww, cool, let me just get my computer! I'm done with my homework, anyway_", she said. I heard footsteps as she ran somewhere, likely to find her laptop.

"I'll call you on Zkybe..." I said, hanging up. I sighed in relief. One down, one to go... sadly, the second one was a boss fight. I gathered all my courage before finding the number. I was so flustered the day before, I... I was afraid I couldn't speak a word to him. I stared at the screen before bravely clicking the call-button and placing the phone against my ear.

"_Urushihara_", he answered, his usual bored tone noticable in his words. Maybe I should've texted him instead... I can't come up with any words to say. "_You called Matsuoka-san already?_" he asked after a short silence. He must've noticed I went speechless.

"Uh... um, I did", I managed to say. "Sorry, I just... uh, nevermind... I-"

"_You could've just written to me online, or you know, texted me, since you obviously still can't form sentences_", he said, interrupting my stuttering. That really hit a nerve right there.

"Oh, but then I wouldn't have heard the oh-so-lovely sound of your voice, Urushihara-kun", I hissed, sarcasm obvious in my statement.

"_Wow, you're actually getting mad... wouldn't have thought you'd be so comfortable around me already~_", the demon teased.

"Wouldn't have thought you'd be blushing in front of me yet, either. You must really be into me, huh?" I shot back with odd confidence.

"_I-! S-shut up. Just log on and we'll play_", he said before ending the call. I listened to the beeps, thinking of what I'd just said – and heard! He was actually stuttering...

"Why are you so red?" Ayame asked from her studying desk. It appeared she'd listened to my side of the conversation with Urushihara and was now smirking devilishly. Both of my hands flew on my cheeks, trying to hide my embarrasment. It was useless, since she'd already seen the blush.

"N-no reason..." I said, ignoring her stare and making my way to my desk. I opened up the laptop on it, still feeling the blonde's stare. I heard her chair squeak as she turned around to face her homework again. My headphones were already attached to the laptop, so I just put them on my ears. I looked at my Zkybe, seeing both of the other players online. Gina added me to their group call.

"_Hana-chaaaaaann~! You're finally here!_" she giggled.

"Finally? I took like two minutes", I said, leaning slightly against the table.

"_I know, I know. I'm just excited_", she said. It sounded like she was jumping on her chair. "_Let's play already!_"

"_Oh, I think it's Matsuoka-san's turn to be the healer_", Urushihara said. I opened up the game and waited for it to load.

"_No it isn't! I mean... I thought it was Urushihara-kun's_", Gina said, suddenly sounding a little depressed.

"Well, it definitely isn't my turn. I was it the last time", I said, watching as my character selection opened up on the screen. I chose my blood elf and entered the world. "Besides, it doesn't really matter when we're doing the easier quests."

"_You're right. We don't really need anyone to be the healer before we reach the harder ones_", Gina said, apparently having cheered up again.

"_Only if I had even the first extension pack_", Urushihara said, sighing.

"Oh, right. I was supposed to go and find one myself", I said. "I don't know why I forgot."

"_Could you find one for me too? I'll pay you_", Urushihara asked. He really didn't show any signs of being affected by our previous awkwardness. I decided to try and be strong, too.

"With Maou-san's money?" I asked after a pause, smirking. He of course couldn't hear my expression, but I believed he could feel it in my voice.

"_Naturally_", he replied.

"_You're not stealing from the poor guy, are you? I mean, you shouldn't be doin' that_", Gina chuckled. It didn't sound like it, but she was being serious. I knew it from experience. She just didn't speak in her serious voice to a person she'd just met a little while ago. Also, "poor guy" - how fitting. I held back a giggle.

"_He'll survive_", Urushihara said. I helped him kill a pack of gremlins that'd attacked us.

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><p>After a few hours of playing we began hearing loud sounds from what I believe was Urushihara's house. The voices sounded like they belonged to Maou, Ashiya, Yusa and... Kamazuki, maybe? I raised a brow at the yelling, but the other two players of course couldn't hear it. Urushihara sighed and I heard what I think was the closet door opening, since the voices suddenly became a lot clearer.<p>

"..._and I really don't appreciate you sneaking up around our house!_" Was that Ashiya's voice?

"_Oy you, yes, ALL of you! Could you please just SHUT UP?_" Urushihara yelled at the arguing bunch. Me and Gina followed their conversation. I knew she was doing it too. She loved to gossip about things like these.

"_You! You stay quiet, Lucifer! No one asked you!_" Yusa's voice was the last thing we heard. I think he muted his microphone after that.

"_What the hell is going on there?_" Gina asked. I told you she was listening.

"I don't know... they seem to be fighting about everything over there", I sighed.

"_Reminds me of you, Hana-chan. You always argue about everything_", Gina chuckled.

"No I don't", I said, unknowingly proving her point to be at least partially true. "I-I mean..." I stuttered when I realized my mistake.

"_Why was Yusa-san calling Urushihara-kun "Lucifer"? You know, if she was talking to him. I'm pretty sure she was, though_", Gina pondered.

"Eh, uh... It's just a nickname they made up for him, I guess?" I lied.

"_What a mean nickname_", Gina said.

"I... suppose so", I replied, blinking. I sometimes forgot this world connected some of us to it's religions and stuff. Like Lucifer being the fallen angel (...like he actually is), in some religions Satan himself, giving Eve the apple and such. Why the hell do I know this again? Has school actually managed to permanently place some information in my brain? Why was I paying attention to that particular information? I blinked again.

"_Why are you being so quiet, Hana-chan?_" Gina asked and snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Eh, no reason", I said and slapped myself gently on the cheek. Focus, Drea. Focus. Suddenly Urushihara's mike was turned back on and some loud rustling and yelling could be heard on the backround.

"_I'm gonna have to leave now... this is not gonna work with those four going at it_", Urushihara said, sighing.

"_Don't you have any other place to go to?_" Gina asked.

"_If I had, I'd gone there ages ago. Anyways, I'm gonna leave now_", he said, waiting for us to say our goodbyes.

"Urushihara-kun? Let's play together again..." I said, smiling. There was a pause before anyone said anything.

"_Yeah... bye_", he said.

"_Byee~!_" Gina said. I felt like she was waving behind the screen, but of course I couldn't be sure.

"Bye", I said. Urushihara left the call and Gina and I logged out of the game.

"_So... are you ready to admit that you have a crush on him?_" Gina chuckled.

"I... don't know yet", I said, avoiding the question.

"_Haa! So cute! Well, anyways. I'm gonna go now. See you like... umm... weekend sound good? Good. See you then!_" Gina said, leaving the call before I could reply. There was still a smile on my face when I turned around on my chair, wanting to read some of my mangas. When I turned around, however, I saw a smirking Ayame looking at me.

"...shut up", I said as I walked over to my side of our bookshelf.

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**So there it is! Hana-chan is sort of admitting her crush now :3 - and there's more to come! I'll update somewhere later this week, so be ready. Reviews and stuff would be awesome~!**


	12. Chapter 11 - Coincidences can be fun

**[A/N]**

**Here is the newest chapter! Things are like, almost escalating and stuff! I didn't know a story was supposed to do that... :o**

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><p><span>Chapter 11 – Coincidences can be fun<span>

It was finally lunchtime. Everyone in the music class collected their bags and left in their usual groups. Me and Ayame were one of the last to leave, like we usually are. We sort of wonder where the other students are hurrying after every single class. Probably socializing, to be honest.

"You wanna have lunch at MgRonald's? I mean, we've been avoiding it for a few days, now. Maybe it's time to face our demons", Ayame laughed, putting her notebooks into her bag and throwing it on her shoulder.

"Very funny", I replied, joining in on her laughing. We left the classroom and ended up in the hallway, where we made our way towards the main lobby.

"What class did Gina have again?" Ayame asked. Neither of us really never learns her shcedule properly. I don't know why that is.

"Uh, I think it's-"

"No, I'm sorry", we heard a familiar voice from behind a corner, a short corridor parting from the main one we were walking. "I... I don't want to date _anyone_ right now." Gina's voice echoed slightly in the mostly empty corridors. Teens were really fast at leaving for lunchbreak, so there weren't many students around anymore.

"Oh... Well, uh, call me if you change your mind?" another voice replied. Me and Ayame had stopped near the smaller corridor and gave eachother odd looks.

"Sure", Gina replied to the male voice. Soon after that a tall, good-looking male student walked from behind the corner and gave us a startled look. Of course he didn't realize we were listening. Then he sped up slightly and left.

"Gina-chan?" Ayame spoke as Gina walked from behind the corner, too. She gave us a surprised look and then a smile spread on her face.

"Oh, ahahaha! Hey, you guys! I didn't know you were there", she said, her cheery attitude present, as always.

"Were sorry", I apologized, even bowing. That made both Ayame and Gina let out a chuckle.

"Really, now, it's alright. This happens more often than you'd think..." the blue-haired girl said and rubbed her neck. I guess she didn't realize how smug that sounded just now.

"No, we know you're popular with the guys", Ayame said, giving her a suggestive smile. Gina laughed at that and I sort of started spacing out. Gina must've noticed that, since she pointed her next question to me - well, at least she looked at me while saying it.

"So~, where are we gonna eat today?" she chirped, grabbing one of both mine and Ayame's wrists. She pulled us into movement as she did and we continued our journey to the lobby. "Are we still avoiding MgRonald's?" she added, looking at me from the corner of her eye. How did she...?!

"Oh, you noticed?" Ayame asked, smiling a little awkwardly.

"Well, it wasn't_ that_ hard to realize. We basically live there, you know", Gina said. I sighed at a loss for anything better to say. Ayame giggled.

"Well, you see... you know we spoke about how one of Urushihara-kun's roommates is working at MgRonald's? Ya'know, when we went to shopping?" Ayame asked and Gina nodded as a response. "That's mostly the reason why... but, umm, Sadao Maou is actually the black-haired guy you're always crushing on."

"What? He is?!" Gina yelled, stopping in her tracks and turning around to face us. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because... we'd have to introduce you and it's awkward", I said and then fell back to my safe silence. Ayame looked at me and then nodded a little reluctantly.

"Oh, come on! That's the stupidest reason ever!" Gina yelled, raising her hands high up in an overly dramatic way. "We're going to MgRonald's today~!" she said and kept walking. We followed her to the lockers at the main lobby and I gave a loud sigh. I knew we had to deal with this sooner or later.

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><p>As soon as we got to MgRonald's I was ready to hold Gina down. She looked at me with sparkling eyes as we entered the fast-food place and pushed the door open with her back. My anxiety just kept on growing. She was so going to do something terrible.<p>

"I can't wait to meet him! I can't!" she quietly giggled and turned around to head for the register. However, immediately after turning around, she stopped walking. I looked at Ayame, who was looking over to the register and followed her gaze to it. Oh, thank God!

"It looks like he isn't at work right now", Ayame smirked and headed for our regular corner table. I followed her with a pleased smile.

"Oww! That can't be!" Gina complained and sat across me and Ayame. "I really wanted to meet him..." she continued and looked over to the unknown employees at the registers.

"Sorry, but it's just not his shift", I said, leaning back in my seat. "We should order anyway, now that were here I mean."

"Yeah. Come now, you'll meet him another time", Ayame said and got up from the table, leaving her bag on her seat. I did the same after she moved and unblocked my passage from the corner spot.

"Still... I was so sure he'd be here", Gina said and got up from her seat, leaving her bag as well. She sighed deeply and headed over for the counter, lining behind Ayame and myself. She had a really disappointed look on her face and I couldn't help but smile.

"Don't pout now. It's affecting me in a way I don't appreciate", I chuckled. Suddenly a smirk appeared on Gina's face and she raised a brow at me. What...? Oh. I began chuckling when I realized my line could be taken in more than one way. Why do I have pervy friends, again?

"This register's free, miss", a soft male voice spoke and alerted me. I realized I was just standing there, not ordering anything and gave the guy an apologetic smile. I looked at Ayame from the corner of my eye. Her order was being made by the guy on the other register.

"A Big Mag burger and a large coke", I said and dug out my wallet.

"Anything else?" the guy asked with a smile, typing something on the cash register. I shook my head.

"No, thanks", I said and gave him the money before he could even ask.

"Alright, just a moment", he said and went to fetch my burger and coke. I took the time to look over to Ayame, who'd just gotten her fries, coke and ice cream. Ice cream? Man, I should've gotten one of those! Well, I'll manage.

"Enjoy your meal!" the guy who made Ayame's meal said and Ayame moved from the line. The brunette guy was just about to take Gina's order, when...

"Hey, it's time for your break", Maou's voice spoke from behind the brunette.

"I'll just take this customer", the brunette replied with a smile and Maou nodded. Then he turned to Gina, flinching a little at the sight of her. The look on her face was scary to say the least: she looked like she was a crocodile who'd just seen Captain Hook. Holy shit. I'd already accepted the thought that Maou wasn't at work today, and suddenly BAM! - and my thoughts are all messed up again. Like, why can't he be consistent?

"Ahem", a voice in front of me made me turn my face towards him. Oh, I didn't notice my order was ready. I blushed a little as I took my tray. "Enjoy your meal!" the employee said with a smile and I headed for our table. Ayame moved from my way as I sat into my corner and sighed.

"Did you notice him?" I asked my blonde friend who dipped a fry in ketchup.

"I did", she replied, sighing as well. "I hope she doesn't freak out."

"Likewise", I said and opened up my hamburger box.

Gina didn't take too long with her offer and soon she was sitting at the table with us, too. The minute she arrived she put a wide smile on her face.

"I can't believe I'm gonna meet him!" she giggled, looking over to the registers. Maou was exchanging a word with the brunette guy before walking to the register and noticing us in the corner. I'm sure he saw us earlier, too, but he waved at us only now. "Wow, so you do actually know him? I wasn't completely sure if you were lying or not", Gina said, looking at us with a hint of suspicion at the corner of her eye.

"We do..." Ayame said, lazily waving back at the raven. "You wanna talk to him after we've eaten?" she suggested.

"Sounds good!" Gina replied, attacking her meal.

* * *

><p>After we were done eating we collected our bags and got rid of our empty trays and leftover trash. Then, it was time for the moment of truth. I took a deep breath before walking over to the cash register with the other two girls. Ayame looked as worried as I did, but Gina was smiling as brightly as ever. That made us even more worried.<p>

"Honda-san, Wakahisa-san, how's it going?" the raven asked with a smile and looked around the hall. I felt a little awkward about our timing, since Maou seemed to be very keen on his job. He even made us wait for an hour last time - even though I have to admit the conversation then was probably better to have while sitting down.

"Well, you know, studying hard for our finals..." Ayame said, secretly leaving me out of her statement. Maou's eyes soon made it to the third girl, Gina. "Ah, Maou-san, this is our friend – Gina Matsuoka. Gina-chan, this is Sadao Maou."

"Nice to meet you", Gina said with a smile and bowed.

"Oh, I've seen you around. You three often eat here around lunchtime, don't you?" Maou said, looking through us one at a time. "You stand out pretty well, too."

"Hahahaha! I suppose I do!" Gina laughed, twirling a lock of electric blue hair around her finger. She seems so uncomfortably flirty right now...

"We don't have a lot of time before our classes continue... we just wanted to say hi", Ayame said. "So... hi", she added a little awkwardly.

"Hope you don't mind us bothering you at work..." I said a little monotone. Was Urushihara's way of speaking sticking on me?

"No, it's alright, I suppose... It's been a little slow, anyway", Maou said, leaning an elbow against the register. "The SFC on the other side of the road is pretty much pulling all our customers..." Maou began, but stopped himself before starting to ramble. The place really seems empty. "Oh, sorry, you were in a hurry!"

"Yeah, we are... but you know, I'll eat here instead of SFC from now on, if it helps", Gina said and smiled. Well, you mostly already do, but whatever.

"You don't have to sacrifice if you-"

"No, it's fine!" Gina chuckled. "I like eating here~."

"Well, thanks then. It certainly helps my paycheck", Maou laughed. Did her implication completely go over his head? I bet it did.

"We're gonna head out now. Nice chatting with you, Maou-san", Ayame said and began walking over to the door.

"It was _really_ nice meeting you~", Gina said, flipping her hair as she walked away from the register. Really? A hair flip?

"See you around", I said a little lazily before following my friends. I was a bit tempted to ask about the fight between him and the others, but didn't go throught with it. Maou waved at us as we left.

* * *

><p>The rest of the school day for me was checking my phone every five to ten minutes. Gina was constantly speaking about how amazingly handsome Maou looked or how she totally didn't know how to feel. Very cliched teen stuff, I mean. Then she went through all her former boyfriends and experiences in love. I wish I could unsee all the annoying messages she sent, but I can't. I could've always used a memory wiping spell on myself, but my magic was all drained out.<p>

At some point of the conversation I had to remind Gina that Chiho actually had a huge crush on Maou too. To that Gina only replied with "Oh, I know! I just think he's cute, I'm not gonna do anything about it! LOL!" I wasn't sure if I should believe her or not. It was very uncommon for her to have a crush on anything but a character in a manga. Besides, an older guy like Maou must've been a great challenge for a boy magnet like her. I wonder if Gina would still like him if she knew he's a demon lord.

* * *

><p>After surviving another bombing to my cell Ayame and I met Gina outside the main door. I was leaning against the wall and Ayame was going through her schedule for tomorrow, when the tall girl immersed from the crowd with a wide smile.<p>

"Hello again my little ones", Gina chuckled.

"Hey", Ayame greeted and put her calendar back to her bag.

"So, what is it? You have like five minutes before your next class starts, don't you?" I asked, moving my weight from the wall to my legs and stepping away from it.

"I just wanted to see you", Gina said and poked me on my arm. "I also wanted to say... well, I was gonna study today, but I don't feel like it anymore! What I really wanna do is play some more RoW, you know. I know I said we'd do something this weekend, but I already wanna play again – no, I need to play again."

"So... you want me to call Urushihara-kun and arrange another gaming session?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah, I really wanna play tonight. Pleeeease!" she pleaded, crossing her hands, even. That's probably why she wanted to see me in person... she can't beg with that puppy-dog expression through text messages. No emoji is enough to cause the same effect on me.

"She'll do it! She'll do it!" Ayame playfully yelled, acting like she was horrified of Gina's cuteness. I smiled at the two. "Just stop the adorableness!"

"Mmh, I think I can do it..." I said, keeping my cool. Secretly I was a little happy I got to play with Urushihara again so soon.

"Oh, great! It's just... I don't think I could focus on studying today", Gina chuckled against her hand. "Well, my classes are continuing. You guys are so lucky getting off at two!" she said, waving at us as she left. "Bye!" We waved back before turning to eachother.

"We should head to our dorm", Ayame said, pointing a finger towards the dormitories.

"Ah, you go ahead... I have something I'd like to do before that", I said, causing Ayame to tilt her head in confusion.

"You do?" she asked, confusion clear in her tone.

"Mhm, I'm gonna go buy a certain game", I replied to her with a smile.

"Hope it isn't too costly", she said and crossed her arms. "You know our money situation is getting worse by the day."

"I know, I know. We shouldn't be spending so much anymore, but... I just really _need_ it right now. Besides, it wasn't that expensive when I last looked at it."

"Fine, go on then... but I warned you", Ayame said, pointing a daring finger at me. I chuckled and waved at her as I headed into town.

* * *

><p>I was looking through the smallish game store's large windows, searching for a certain muscular employee. I didn't dare go in before I was sure the route was clear, so I double- an triple-checked the place from the outside. After that I took a deep breath and entered the dragon's den.<p>

The store didn't look quite the same then when we got chased by that crazy person. The large amount of brightly coloured "SALE"-signs and the masses of gamers were gone. I was glad of the latter, but the first sort of worried me. I walked through the shelves and to the RPG-section to find my game.

"Ahh! It's not here!" I accidentally spoke my thoughts out loud and covered my mouth. I got a look from the only other customer at the store and smiled awkwardly at him. He was a man of about forty, roaming around the store like a lost child. He seemed somewhat confused about everything around him and that might've been the reason the store attracted him in.

I shook my head and woke myself up from my thoughts, looking over to the counter a bit reluctantly. Do I really have to talk to an employee...? I don't like people doing their jobs. They scare me.

I walked through the shelves, stopping for a second before walking over to the counter. Behind it was a tall young woman with long, black hair and big glasses. She looked nice, so I wasn't too afraid of her presence.

"Uh... hi. You wouldn't still happen to have any of the Realm of Warship extension packs, would you?" I asked, squeezing the strap of my school bag with one hand.

"Mmh, I'm not sure... which ones are you talking about?" she asked, furrowing her brows a bit as she thought.

"The first one", I replied.

"I think we had a couple left over... I'll have to check from our storage", she said, turning towards a computer at the counter and starting to click through things. It felt almost a little cold at the store now that all the people were gone and the air-conditioning was doing it's magic. I raised a hand on my arm like it would warm me up or something. "Yeah, we actually do have a couple left over from our sale last week. If you want, I can sell one at the same price they were then."

"I need two copies, actually", I said, turning to look at the woman again.

"Two it is. I'll go get them for you from the back", she said with a smile.

"Thank you", I replied. She headed for the back room and I slightly leaned against the counter.

* * *

><p>I gave the black-haired woman the money for the games and headed for the door with a white plastic bag in my hand. I was just about to open the door, when someone else from the other side pulled it open in front of me. I stepped back when I realized there was another person there and I almost stepped back again when I realized who it was.<p>

"Hana-san?" a pretty, brown-haired highschool-girl asked as she stepped into the store, still holding onto the open door.

"Hi, Etsuko-san", I greeted lifelessly, still a little stunned by our sudden meeting. I seemed to be bumping into people randomly all the time nowadays. "What are you doing here?" was the first thing to pop up in my head. Etsuko let go of the door and we moved from in front of it.

"I came here to look for a vintage game", she said like she was a professional. "You know I collect those." Yes... yes I do. I know you like bragging about your gamerness-ness...ness, Etsuko-dear. "It's rarer to see you in a game store, to be honest. You play like, what, two games?"

"Three... but it isn't that big of a difference, I suppose", I said, trying to hold back my sarcasm. Why do you have to be so annoying, Etsuko? How did you even manage to make that line insulting?

"No, it doesn't. Hey, now that you're here, what are you doing tonight? We could go see a movie or something", she suggested with a cheery tone.

"Oh, sorry, I already have plans..." I said.

"Wow, _you_ have plans? Hahahaha! Well, I guess it can't be helped..." Etsuko said, wiping a fake tear from the corner of her eye. "What about... I dunno, the weekend?"

"Well, I sort of agreed on something then, too", I said and scratched my head. It's a little odd for me to have my calendar full for the rest of the week.

"Is that so?" Etsuko asked, her expression darkening a bit. I wasn't sure if I should be happy or scared about the sudden change. "With that one guy you told me about at school?" she added, her tone sounding somewhat venomous. What was she getting so mad about all of a sudden?

"Well... sort of, yeah. Is that a problem?" I asked, blinking.

"No, no... not at all. It's just..." Etsuko spoke, looking around her like she was about to tell me a secret. "You know, I've been talking to Nobuko-chan lately... and she agrees that you've spent less time with your friends, you know. That you're getting too attached to that boy or something." Wait, what? Where the hell did she get that?! I haven't been even talking to him much. And how the heck did Nobuko know about Urushihara?

"What...?" was all I could say.

"Yeah... I've heard some rumors about it. I mean, your friends might not like it if you get too attached to a guy, you know. No offense, of course! It's just, you know... something you should keep in your mind", Etsuko said, flipping her hair back. Something to keep in my mind? Was that a threat or something? What?

"Umm... I haven't even known him that long and this thing you imagine between us... isn't there, you know", I replied.

"Mmh, you're probably right... sorry, I overstepped my boundaries. I just speak what I hear, you know", Etsuko said with a dismissive undertone. "I-I'm sorry, nevermind what I just said. It's just plain silly, now that I think about it!" she chuckled. Was she jealous of me or something? Did she think I was threatening her throne, maybe? I don't get it. I'm not that special to be fought over.

"Uh... oh", I said and just stood there like and idiot for a moment. "Oh, um. I've gotta go now... Maybe we'll do something another time", I said, hoping we wouldn't.

"Yeah, let's", she said, the cheery smile returning on her face as she waved me goodbye. I gave her a fake smile before leaving the store.

* * *

><p>The encounter I'd had with Etsuko left me puzzled to say the least and I almost didn't find the right way to walk back home. By now I'd returned to the dormitory and changed my clothes, though.<p>

I was sitting at my table in a black top and green sweatpants, since I was going to play the whole evening anyway. Ayame was studying over at Nobuko's room, so I had the room all to myself. I found my phone from my school bag and found Urushihara's number, calling it.

"Hi, Urushihara-kun. Hope I'm not bothering you?" I asked.

"_Nah, it's fine. What's up?_" he replied with his usual tone.

"Well, uh, I was just wondering if we could play again today. I mean, Gina-chan asked if we'd like to... If you don't got anything better to do", I said, stumbling with my words a bit. There was a short silence before he answered again.

"_It's not like I have a job or something. I have time, so why not_", he said.

"_You could also help with the housework, you know_", came a muffled up voice from the backround. I chuckled at that.

"So I'll see you online?" I asked, already opening up my Zkybe.

"_Yup_", he replied before hanging up. I put away the phone from my ear and noticed the small smile that'd spread across my face. It caused me to blush, but I didn't mind too much since no one was there to see it. I typed in Gina's number and called it with delight.

"Hey, Gina-chan~! Are you ready?" I greeted with an uncomfortable cheeriness.

"_...wow, you really sound creepy like that. Anyways, I'm sorry! I can't!_" Gina replied. That made my heart skip a beat.

"You can't? Why the hell not?!" I yelled, all of my confidence crumbling down like a house of cards.

"_Well, uh, I'd kinda forgotten the reason I made plans with you for the weekend... you see, I promised to go study at Nobuko-san's_", Gina spoke with an apologetic tone.

"W-when did you do that?" I asked and pushed my free hand in my hair, tugging at the white and green locks.

"_When I comforted her, remember? I'm so sorry, since I was the one to make the plans!_" Gina apologized, probably even bowed down as she did. "_We'll play this weekend. Promise!_"

"That's... that's fine", I said, leaning myself against my table, defeated.

"_Well, I gotta go now... bye~!_"

"Bye", I said and Gina hung up. The lilac phone slipped from my grasp and on the table, making a loud thud. Why did I have to call Urushihara first...? Now I was in an awkward social situation. I don't like awkward social situations. Besides... I actually wanted to play with them... with _him_.

I raised myself from my desk, put on my headphones and sighed deeply. I clicked to call on Zkybe and Urushihara soon answered.

"Hey, uh, Gina-chan couldn't make it after all... so I guess we'll call this game night off?" I said, chuckling a bit.

"_You could've just typed that_", Urushihara said. Well, I could've... Shit, I actually could've. I guess I was too overcome by depression to realize that.

"Oh, yeah, I guess so..." I laughed. There was a silence for a while.

"_You know... we could play even if Matsuoka-san isn't here_", Urushihara said. What?

"Huh? B-but we can't progress without her", I replied, stuttering a little.

"_Not RoW, but something else. Like... Hearthrock, maybe? You play it too, right?_" He remembers that? No, wait, he wants to play it... with _me_?

"I do... but I've been sucking at it lately."

"_That's alright with me. It'd be just fun to have a familiar opponent, you know._" My heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah, sure, let's play it..." I said, trying to sound even remotely cool. I was so... confused. But glad in a way. I double-clicked on the Hearthrock icon and entered the cardgame. "So, you really like Lizzard-games, too?"

"_I do, amongst others. RPG:s are usually the most fun to play, but Hearthrock somehow got me addicted like crazy._"

"Haha, is that so? A friend actually told me about Heartrock. She hasn't really played with me in a long time, don't know why", I said and leaned my chin against my hand.

"_So is your account-name same as your Zkybe-name?_"

"Yeah."

"_I'll send you a friend request._" I waited only about ten seconds before receiving the request, immediately accepting it. Then I sent him a challenge. He agreed.

"You always play with a shaman?"

"_Pretty much. Sometimes I use hunter or warrior. Do you always play with a rogue?_"

"Most of the time, yeah", I said and looked through my cards. Alright for an opening, I suppose... Wait, what am I doing? I'm focusing on the game when I'm talking to Urushihara. Alone. Well, I guessed Ashiya was there since I heard his voice earlier, but close enough. Suddenly I became very aware of the purple-haired demon's precence, even if it was only through the computer.

"_Of course you're using your extra mana right in the beginning..._" I bet he was rolling his eyes right now.

"Yeah... uh..." I ended my turn in the game and tried to come up with something else to chat about. "So... what happened with the fight your roommates were having with Yusa-san and Kamazuki-san?"

"_Huh...? Oh, that. Well... it started from the fight between Maou and Ashiya. They were continuing their arguments for the second day and I was getting pretty pissed. Only, I wasn't the only one. Suzuno had heard their yelling and came over to complain. The fight alarmed Yusa, who was stalking us nearby and she barged in, blaiming us for doing "something terrible" again_", Urushihara explained and ended his turn in the game. The story made me chuckle.

"How did it end?" I asked, still smiling.

"_I think Yusa's phone started ringing and she headed over to whatever emergency awaited her... after that Ashiya started cooking and Suzuno helped him. I didn't pay much attention after that, didn't care enough._"

"Is that so?" I asked, not really expecting for an answer.

"_Wow, you actually managed to deal damage just now_", he spoke with obvious sarcasm when I launched a powerful spell on his hero.

"Get used to it from now on", I shot. "Oh, by the way, I went to the game store today. You know, the one where we ran away from the cashieer together?"

"_Mm-hmm. What about it?_"

"Well, I went and bought the first extension pack to RoW", I said, trying not to stutter on my next sentence. "I... I bought a copy for you, too. Like you asked."

"_You did? That's awesome!_"

"Yeah... you're welcome, by the way", I joked.

"_Uh... thanks..._" he spoke with a somewhat embarrased tone. It was so different from his usual bored one that it made a blush appear on my cheeks again.

"Umm... I-I'll bring it over to your apartment at some point, okay? I was actually supposed to bring it over today, but I got sidetracked..."

"_That's okay. It's not like I need it until we play RoW again._"

"Yeah... WHERE DID YOU GET _THAT_ CARD?!" I yelled as he placed a card with an awesome battlecry on the field.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]**

**Se there it is, extra long just for you! I was originally supposed to upload on Friday, but it was like 3am when I finally had time from my friends and, yeah, I couldn't do it. Then I was supposed to do it on Saturday, but I'm lazy, so here it is! All done and stuff! I feel a little bad since this is the first chapter I haven't posted in time (I've set specific writing times for myself to not slack off), but I'll manage.**

**Wow, this author's note is getting way too long. I'd appreciate reviews, since I work hard! Hope you liked this chapter! Next one will be up likely on Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday.**


	13. Chapter 12 - Friends and foes

**[A/N]**

**I'm back! You... you didn't even notice I was gone? Oh...**

**Well, here I am, and here's your new chapter (finally)!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 12 – Friends and foes<span>

It was a normal Sunday afternoon. I was sitting at my computer and playing RoW with Gina and Urushihara. Ayame was on the other side of the room, studying with Nobuko. They were sitting on opposite ends of her bed with piles of books between them, chatting about something I couldn't understand through my headphones.

"OY! Look out for that monster!" I yelled, fiercely clicking my mouse.

"_Oops, that one almost got me. Thanks,_" Urushihara replied with his usual monotone.

"_Hana-chan! Come back me up, my health is really low!_" Gina yelled and I flinched at the sound against my ears, repositioning my headphones.

"On my way," I replied, heading for her direction.

Our yelling continued like that for a good while before all the monsters were defeated and all the quest items returned. I sat back in my chair, stretching my arms towards the sealing.

"Haah! That really was something," I said.

"_Sure was. Should we take a little pause before the next quest?_" Gina asked, sounding as tired as I was.

"_Um..._"

""_Um?"_"

"What's wrong, Urushihara-kun?" I asked and raised a brow, even though they couldn't see it.

"_My experience points. They're not increasing anymore,_" he simply said. "_It looks like I need the first extension pack to proceed._"

"Oh, that's right! I still have yours..." I thought out loud, looking around the dorm room for a certain plastic bag.

"_Hmm?_" Gina chuckled and my expression turned into a frown. "_You should hurry up and take it to him, Hana-chan~._"

"I know, I know..." I said. "How about I swing by now, Urushihara-kun?"

"_Uh, I guess that's alright,_" he replied.

"Good. Then I'll see you soon. Gina-chan, wait for me, okay?" I said, already moving my mouse on top of the "end call"-button.

"_Mm-hmm. Talk to you later,_" Gina replied, ending the call before I could. It could also have been Urushihara who ended the call, though... Ugh, what am I thinking again? I put down the lid of my computer and took off my headphones, only to catch the last few lines of Ayame and Nobuko's conversation.

"...and we'll study again next week, okay?" Nobuko asked, leaning against the half-opened door. She turned to look at me when she realized I was done with my game. "Oh, see you around, Hana-san. You should study hard, too."

"Yeah, at some point I will... see you around," I replied, lazily waving at the girl dressed in red. She waved back and giggled as she closed the door, disappearing behind it.

"At some point?" Ayame asked with clear disbelief, getting up from her bed and walking over to me.

"I thought I'd read through the books about a week before the exams..." I said, leaning my upper body against the back of my chair.

"I hope that's enough to get you through them, Hana-chan..." she sighed, placing both of her hands on her hips. I got up from my chair with a nonchalant look and walked over to my bed, kneeling next to it to look under it.

"So... what's Nobuko-san up to?" I asked out of politeness, finding the plastic bag containing the games I purchased and pulling it out.

"Hmm? I'm surprised you care." I don't. "She wondered how our room is so clean now..." Ayame said with a smile I couldn't see, but heard it in her voice.

"Is that so?" I yawned, getting up with the bag and turning back towards Ayame.

"Mmh... going over to the demons'?" the blonde asked, changing the subject. She must've noticed my lack of interest.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" I spoke without thinking, then suddenly stopped what I was doing. "Oh." I gave her a cold stare.

"Now you can do what I asked yesterday and get my painting back," she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"I already told you yesterday that I won't," I said, finding my bag from next to the door.

"Why not? We now know that Chiho Sasaki knows about Ente Isla, there's no need to keep it there," she replied with an angered hand motion.

"Because it's embarrasing! "Hey, nice to be here... give us back our painting,"" I said, feeling my face getting flushed already.

"Really now, you're so hopeless! All you need to do is explain the situation to them, Hana-chan," Ayame spoke with a disapproving tone. I squeezed my bag against my chest like it was a shield.

"I don't wanna," I replied with a childish voice and turned to look away from her. She gave me an exaggerated sigh.

"I suppose I have no choice but to come with you, then," she said, making her way to her side of the room, grabbing her bag. I blinked in surprise.

"Really?" I asked and put on my sneakers.

"Does it look like I'm joking or something?" she chuckled and opened the closet. "We better take this, it's pouring outside," she said and threw me an umbrella from the closet. I barely caught it.

"I know, I listened to the sound of raining against the windows all morning... I couldn't sleep at all," I sighed and rubbed my eyes to farther make my point. Ayame laughed at that.

"Well, at least you woke up in the _morning_ for once," she joked and put on her shoes.

"It's so funny... can't... stop laughing..." I said in a monotone voice, making a pained expression. I made myself giggle and blushed at that.

"Let's just go," Ayame giggled back and opened the door. I nodded as a reply.

* * *

><p>We walked down the stairs of the dormitory and stood behind it's main door, looking at the rain through it's glass with narrowed eyes. Ayame didn't like the cold and wet, but I'd always found rain very atmospheric.<p>

"Guess we have to go out, huh?" she sighed, opening the door and letting the fresh smell inside the building. She stepped aside, signing for me to get out first. I walked out and opened up the umbrella in my hands, trying not to drop my bags.

"Get under here," I said, making room for Ayame. She stepped under the umbrella and took a hold of it with me. We exchanged smiles before beginning to walk, avoiding the biggest puddles of water.

We didn't get to walk far from the dormitories, when we suddenly heard footsteps and a surprisingly soft scream.

"Waaaaait!" Gina yelled as she appeared from behind us, making us turn around and look at her in confusion. She was wearing red rainboots and a blue rainjacket, leaned against her knees and took deep breaths. "I... made... it... in time..." she said between breaths.

"D-did you run all the way here from your house?!" I yelled, taking a step closer to her and accidentally pulling Ayame with me. Gina raised a finger to sign us to wait.

"I... I did," she replied after catching her breath and regaining her posture. "Oh, it seems my hood's fallen of..." she chuckled, pulling the blue hood over her soaked hair.

"You'll get a cold like that!" Ayame yelled, obviously a little worried. "Are you stupid or what? What in the world made you do this?"

"I'm alright, really," Gina assured, motioning with her hands as a confirmation. "I just, umm..." She looked away, assumingly hiding a blush. I couldn't tell if she was, though, since her face was already red from running. "You don't mind if I come with you to Urushihara-kun's place, do you?" she asked with a wide smile.

"Oh, you just wanna meet Maou-san again, huh?" I bluntly said, all worry disappearing from my expression. She flinched a little.

"Maybe I do. Is there a problem?" Gina asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

"No, not at all. You can come with us," Ayame cut in and grabbed her arm. "Let's go." She pulled her into motion and soon we all walked in a row, me and Gina avoiding looking at eachother in the eye.

"You realize Chiho-chan's been crushing on him a lot longer, right?" I mumbled, not sure if I wanted Gina to hear me or not.

"What was that?" she asked without looking at me, arms crossed.

"Nothing~" I chirped as annoyingly as I could. I felt stares coming at me from both my left and right.

* * *

><p>It didn't take us too long to reach Villa Rosa Sasazuka. The look on Gina's face when she saw the building was amusing. I don't know what she was expecting from a MgRonald's employee, but I guessed this wasn't quite it. The expression disappeared from her face soon enough, however, and was replaced by her signeture cheerful smile.<p>

"So~, this is where they live, huh?" she asked, looking past me at Ayame.

"Yeah," the blonde replied with a smile and we headed over to the staircase. "Watch your step," she warned before stepping on the first step.

Before Ayame could proceed any farther, we saw the door open. It startled her and she slipped, falling against me and Gina who barely kept our balance.

"Waah! Watch it, Ayame-chan!" I yelled, pushing her off us.

"S-sorry!" she yelled back, blushing. The sight of her flustered made me snicker.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," came a male voice from the top of the stairs and all of us turned to look at him. "Good to see you, Honda-san... Wakahisa-san," Ashiya spoke. What was that pause? Hmph! I crossed my arms in annoyance.

"No, it's alright," Ayame replied, smiling a bit awkwardly. Ashiya smiled back and opened up an umbrella he was holding. Then he walked down the steps, stopping in front of us. "Good to see you too," Ayame continued. Ashiya gazed over me and Ayame (stopping for a moment to glare at me, _of course_) until finally laying her eyes on Gina.

"Oh, we haven't met, right? I'm Gina Matsuoka," Gina introdused herself and offered her right hand for a handshake.

"Shiro Ashiya," Ashiya replied and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Gina replied with a wide smile. Ashiya turned to look at me and Ayame again.

"So, what brings you here today?" Ashiya casually asked.

"I'm here to retrieve something," Ayame said.

"I came here to bring this game..." I added, lifting up the plastic bag in my hand.

"I just came with them," Gina lied with a straight face.

"Oh," was all Ashiya said at first. "Well, you just missed Kamazuki-san, but Sasaki-san's still there," he added with a smile. "I'm going shopping, but I'll be back in less than an hour to make dinner. You can stay if you please."

He seemed so calm compared to the time he snapped. He was being so polite I had to wonder if it was just a mask he wore. Maybe he was actually really angry, but I couldn't tell. I didn't like the feeling of insecurity.

"We'll see," Ayame replied and waved as the tall demon took his leave. Ayame looked at us before carefully walking up the stairs. We followed her and I closed up the umbrella. We entered the hallway and stopped in front of the door 201, looking at eachother as to decide who knocks. After a short staring contest I stepped forward, took a breath and knocked.

"Come on in," came Maou's muffled up voice from the inside. I grabbed the door handle and entered with the other two girls. "Oh, it's you guys again," Maou said, blinking in confusion. "Well, hi there."

"Senpais! It's nice to see you again," Chiho greeted from the table. She was sitting next to Maou with a confused look. "You visit here often?" she added after a short silence.

"I wouldn't say _that_ often," Ayame replied and took off her shoes. Me and Gina followed her example. I also left the umbrella near the door.

"Hey, did you bring me the game?" came Urushihara's voice from the computer. I turned to look at him. Straight to the point, huh?

"Uh, Gina-chan, Urushihara-kun, you haven't met in real life before..." I said and walked over to Urushihara. Gina followed me there.

"Oh, so you're Matsuoka-san?" Urushihara said with little interest, looking at Gina. Then he turned back to me again. "You have the game with you, right?" Seriously...? I looked at Gina from the corner of my eye.

"Yeah, I have it..." I said, handing him the plastic bag a little reluctantly. He took it and found his copy inside, returning the bag to me.

"Urushihara-san, you're just the worst," Chiho commented from the table.

"You didn't make her buy something for you, did you?" Maou sighed. "I'll pay you back, Wakahisa-san."

"Uh, no need! He didn't make me buy it or anything like that," I chuckled and awkwardly rubbed the back of my head. "I just wanted to do something nice."

"For him?" Chiho asked in disbelief.

"What's with that tone? It wouldn't hurt for you to be a bit nicer to me too, you know," Urushihara replied, annoyment obvious in his tone.

"Not until you start actually doing something helpful around here," Chiho hissed back.

"Really, Wakahisa-san... I'll pay for whatever he made you buy. It's my fault he got to you, since I left you alone with him," Maou said and started searching for his wallet. Urushihara glared at him.

"N-no need! I got it with a really low prize, so I don't mind..." I insisted, a blush creeping up on my face.

"More importantly," Ayame interrupted our chat and walked over to Maou. Thank you, my guardian angel! "I want my painting back," she boldly said and pointed at the single picture on the wall.

"Huh?" Maou raised a brow. "I don't really get it, but take it if you want to. It was yours from the beginning, right?"

"Thank you," Ayame said and bowed, walking over to the painting in order to take it off the wall.

"Uh... Maou-san?" Chiho asked, looking at her coworker.

"What is it, Chii-chan?" he replied with a smile.

"Didn't you... buy that painting from them? Why would you just give it back?" Chiho asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing," Gina spoke. I hadn't noticed until then that she'd stayed silent. Wait. Gina was here. Wait... Gina didn't know about us. Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no... Me and Ayame looked at eachother and then at Gina in horror.

"Uh... I didn't-"

"ANYWAY, Gina-chan... you should probably do something about your raincoat, right? It's not polite to wear it inside, right?!" Ayame yelled from behind us. Everyone turned to look at her in confusion.

"Oh, that's right... sorry about that," the blue-haired girl chuckled after a moment of confusion. "I'll take it off," she said and opened up her coat.

"You can hang it in the bathroom to dry, Matsuoka-san," Maou replied with a smile.

"Thanks... and Gina's okay, too," Gina said and tilted her head to side. She took off the coat and went into the bathroom to hang it.

"F-first name basis?!" Chiho suddenly yelled and looked after the girl in the bathroom.

"Chii-chan?" Maou asked and turned to look at the one sitting next to him.

"NOTHING!" she yelled and a blush appeared on her cheeks. Urushihara had completely stopped following the conversation and focused on the extension pack's covers.

"Are you gonna install it now?" I asked and sat beside the fallen angel. He seemed to flinch at my voice, as if he just realized he wasn't alone.

"Yeah, I am," he said and opened up the packaging and putting the disk inside the computer. "I just hope this laptop can take it, since it's really old. It's been acting out for a while now... I'd really like a new one," he sighed. I nodded. I knew how annoying it was when a computer wouldn't work, so I could relate to his problem.

Ayame took her painting from the wall and looked at me like it was time to go.

"Hey, do you wanna stay for dinner?" Maou asked with a warm smile. Ayame stopped in her tracks and set the painting leaning against the wall.

"Well, I guess I don't see why not..." she replied and walked over to the table, then sitting at the end of it. The three around the table exchanged smiles.

"Hey, the guy we spoke to is your third roommate, right? Ashiya-san, I mean," Gina asked as she emerged from the bathroom. She really took her time hanging her coat, didn't she? Wait, did her hair look that good when she entered there?

"Oh, you met him already?" Maou asked with a smile. "Yeah, he is." Gina sat across the table from him and Chiho.

"Some good-looking guys living in here, huh?" Gina giggled and looked at Ayame from the corner of her eye.

"Uhm..." Maou was left speechless for a moment. I felt my cheeks heating up at her comment. Chiho was staring at her blankly. Urushihara didn't seem to care.

"Relax, I'm just joking~," Gina chuckled. Your sense of humor... it scares me. A short but uncomfortable silence followed.

"So, Honda-senpai, Matsuoka-senpai, how are your studies coming along?" Chiho asked, obviously desperately trying to change the subject.

"Well, you know... same old," Ayame said, leaning her chin against her hands.

"Yeah. I've been trying harder at math lately, though..." Gina added, eyeing the sealing for a moment. "Oh, and you don't have to adress us as senpais, eh, Ayame-chan?" Ayame shook her head.

"Ayame-chan is fine with me," she said with a smile.

"You can call me Gina-chan," Gina said and pointed at herself.

"Eh?! Are you sure?" Chiho asked and both girls nodded. "Then you can call me Chiho-chan, too," she said, smiling from ear to ear.

"That's fine with me, Chiho-chan," Ayame chuckled. It didn't take long for Chiho to move her attention from the other two girls to me.

"You don't mind if I start calling you Hana-chan, too?" Chiho asked an tilted her head. Of course I was pulled into this... I didn't like others besides Gina and Ayame using that cutesy honorific on me.

"I suppose I won't," I said with a fake smile.

"Liar," said the monotone voice next to me. He was listening? Besides that, is he smiling?!

"No one asked you, Urushihara-san," Chiho snapped.

"Just pretend I'm air, then," the purple-haired demon replied without moving his eyes from the computer screen.

"That's what I always do," Chiho coldly replied. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Maou, who was just following the conversation with a tired look on his face.

* * *

><p>About two hours passed. At some point Ashiya had returned home and cooked us all dinner. It wasn't anything too fancy, since their money-situation was what it was, but the blond was good at scraping something together from a bunch of nothing.<p>

The conversations were pretty divided. Chiho and Gina were both trying to get Maou's attention, leaving Ashiya and Ayame chatting with eachother for the most part. I of course paid most attention to Urushihara, who didn't seem to mind talking with me.

After the dinner was over Ashiya and Ayame had continued their conversations to the kitchen-area. Ayame was helping the taller blond to wash dishes, which he of course appreciated. Maou, Gina and Chiho were still seated at the table and I was on the computer with Urushihara.

"Has it downloaded yet?" I asked.

"Still at seventy-four percent," he replied and leaned his chin against his hand.

"Wow, this computer really _is_ slow," I complained.

"Yeah, well, what are you gonna do..." he said and opened up a web browser.

"That'll just slow it down more," I teased.

"You obviously don't know a lot about computers," Urushihara laughed. He... laughed. Even though it was a mocking laugh, I couldn't help but blush.

"Well, it's enough for me that I know how to browse the internet and play my games..." I replied, some embarrasment showing in my voice. He looked at me from the corner of his eye.

"Uh... it's not like there's anything wrong with that..." he half-muttered. Did I... make him flustered? That couldn't be it, could it? It seemed to me like he was taken aback by my honesty. I guess he was waiting for a snappy comeback or something.

"Oy, Hana-chan, Gina-chan," Ayame spoke from the counters. It seemed she and Ashiya were done with the dishes. "We should probably get going now."

"I should head home, too," Chiho added and got up from her seat. Maou and Gina stood up as well.

"You wanna walk with us?" Gina asked with an innocent smile. She really didn't seem to care they were rivals now.

"I'm afraid I'm heading into the opposite direction from you," Chiho simply said and headed over to the door. Ayame and Gina were already heading there, too.

"Are you coming, Hana-chan?" Ayame asked as she put on her shoes. I nodded.

"I guess I'll see you around," I said to Urushihara with a smile.

"Mm-hmm," was his nonchalant reply.

"Love you too," I joked and got up from my spot. Suddenly the demon seemed to completely freeze up. He looked at me with a deep blush before turning back to his computer screen. Wait... which cord did I just pull? What happened? I felt my face heat up at his reaction. "U-um...!"

"Bye," he quickly said, not looking at me again. I backed away from him only to see everyone staring at me. Again.

* * *

><p>We waved our goodbyes to Chiho before she headed for her house and we continued towards the dormitories. Gina walked with us for a good while – not looking at me once – before she left for her own home near the mall. Me and Ayame were almost back home when I decided to speak again.<p>

"Why's that creepy painting that important to you, Ayame-chan?" I asked with a monotone voice. She looked at me from the corner of her eye. Then she looked at the painting she was carrying with her.

"The girl in the painting... is someone important to me," Ayame replied with surprising honesty.

"Your sister?" I blurted out before thinking. Shit.

"How'd you know about her?" Ayame asked, turning to face me as we walked. There was no more need for an umbrella, since the skies had finally cleared while we were at Villa Rosa.

"I just... heard you and Gina-chan talking. I didn't wanna interrupt," I said, continuing my monotone.

"Oh..." she said and walked around a puddle in our way. "Sorry I haven't said anything... she's just something I don't like talking about."

"Oh," I replied. To be honest, I didn't really care about her story. I awknowledged I was just jealous about her newly found relationship with Gina, but of course I couldn't say that to her face. My silence would serve the same purpose.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]**

**So, yeah. This chapter is waaaay late because of a call to heroic duties. And by that I mean hanging out with a couple of my friends in a cottage. Anyway, I'm sorry! *faceplants against ground* Better late than never...?**

**Yesterday (yes, yesterday; I'm sorry) I began watching Fairy Tail. I like it, but I think Lucy is a bit annoying. I mean, she's not the worst or anything, but she's still such a typical anime girl sometimes. Also, *cough* Gray's hot *cough cough.***

**Oh, this author's note is turning into a ramble! I'd appreciate reviews soooo much and like always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	14. Chapter 13 - Forth and back

**[A/N]**

**Sorry I haven't posted in many days... it's because I'm a lazy little shit. :) Don't worry guys, I'll make up for it! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 13 – Forth and back<span>

A few days passed by like they normally do – well, mostly normally. Ayame had luckily been taking a little break from her studying and even played and watched anime with me. She also went out a bit more again and gave me more time for myself. I mostly spent that time the same way I always do, watching videos and reading manga... and of course playing with Gina and Urushihara.

Our gaming sessions together seemed to be getting better every time. We'd began throwing idiotic jokes at eachother and gossiping. Imagine, _me_ gossiping! Our teamwork in RoW had also gotten much better and we'd began learning eachother's figting patterns and preferenses in game. Now it was Wednesday afternoon and Gina had left the game early. She said she had plans, but didn't really specify, what. It would've left me wondering if I wasn't distracted by a certain fallen angel's precense.

"That is totally cheating," I complained as he destroyed half of my minions with a spell card, making most damage on my taunts.

"_Nu-uh, you just suck,_" the demon chuckled and took out my hero with a huge blast. A golden "Defeat"-sign popped on my screen and I sighed in annoyment.

"Well... well... so what...?" I muttered and pursed my lips. Urushihara laughed at my reaction even when he couldn't see my lip-pursing. "You're being so mean~" I said as cute as I could.

"_Well, I _am_ a demon, you know,_" he stated and I huffed at that. "_You know... if you wanna learn, I could teach you,_" he said somewhat reluctantly.

"Y-you could?" I asked, my stuttering returning. "Wow, you became way too nice in way too little time. I'm sort of scared," I half-joked and leaned back in my chair with a nonchalant expression.

"_Uh..._" he paused for a while before forming actual words. "_I just thought you might wanna suck less. I mean I can see all of your mistakes even when I can't see your hand._"

"Oh... that bad, huh?" I sighed and he gave me an awkward chuckle. He acted so odd... his sarcasm was toned down to nothingness and his voice was anything but monotone. My heart beat slightly faster than usual. "D-do you think I should come over at your place sometime? You know, so it'd be easier to teach me."

"_You forget something – Maou and Ashiya. You know they're patrolling here and you're on bad terms with the housewife,_" Urushihara spoke, his monotone returning bit by bit. It would've been boring if I didn't enjoy his nonchalant attitude. "_I don't know if you'd like to stay here long enough to properly learn..._"

"I suppose that's true, but..." I stopped, thinking about my response. "I still wanna come over," I boldly said, regretting it at the back of my mind. _What if he says no or goes all weird again? Ugh... Feelings are stupid._

"_Uh... Oh. Umm. Sure... come whenever,_" he replied, now struggling to keep his monotone. _He did go all weird again, didn't he?_

"Yeah..." I said. There was a million things I could've said at that point, but my brain was completely empty. All I could do was stare at the "Defeat"-sign that was still on my screen, since I hadn't clicked it away. We were truly at an awkward pause.

"_So... how's your weekend?_" Urushihara asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"I promised to go out with Chiho-chan on Saturday," I said and leaned against the table, trying to relax my beating heart and cool down my heated cheeks. "But my Sunday should be empty."

"_Sunday, huh...? I think that's Maou's day off... they'll both be here,_" the demon sighed.

"You actually pay attention to those things?" I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"_Things like that can become essential information in the long run, you know,_" he replied with his usual nonchalance, but I guessed there was a smile on his face. "_It's important to know when you can sneak out of the house to a game store sale, for example,_" he spoke with a sneaky tone.

"Sadly you didn't get much out of that trip," I quickly replied and leaned my chin against my hands.

"_It paid off, didn't it? I mean, I have my game now,_" Urushihara laughed. "_Even if I was supposed to buy other ones as well... This'll do._"

"You think you would've gotten them if I wasn't there then?" I asked.

"_It's stupid to think about things like that – we obviously can't know. Idiot,_" Urushihara said. I bet a thousand yen he was rolling his eyes. "_Maybe the cashieer would've recognized me and I wouldn't have gotten away because of the masses of people. Maybe I could've gathered magic from the confusion and knocked that guy out. Who knows._"

"I was just making conversation..." I sighed and rolled my eyes. "And you obviously _have_ been thinking about it."

"_Mm~, maybe,_" he purred._ That tone... what's up with it?!_

"Are you flirting with me?" I blurted out and covered my mouth with one hand as soon as I did. _Why do words just slip out of my mouth around him? What's wrong with me?! Oh... right. Crush. _I was afraid of his reaction, since my comment the other day made him go super-me. Meaning super-awkward.

"_...maybe..._" he carefully said. _Huh...?_ My eyes widened at his surprising words. I wasn't sure if he was kidding or if he was actually getting that comfortable with me. He seemed somewhat socially awkward to me when I spoke to him at demon castle. His body language was just screaming it. Besides, a NEET most likely doesn't come into much contact with people.

"I hope you're kidding..." I mumbled, flushing way too badly. I simply didn't know how else to reply to that. I was so... afraid.

"_Of course I'm kidding,_" he quickly said. I didn't know if I should've been happy or sad. _This guy... He's cute and amusingly nonchalant... so awkward... sarcastic... _"_You wanna play again, or...?_" he soon added. _All those qualities... he sort of reminds me of... me? _"_Uh... Wakahisa-sa-_"

"Hana-chan," I corrected.

"_Huh...?_" Urushihara froze.

"Call me Hana-chan, idiot," I giggled. "Wakahisa-san is a mouthful, don't you think?"

"_Well... not really when compared to Urushihara,_" he replied with a sigh. "_I really don't like the names here..._" he complained.

"I would call you Lucifer if I could," I chuckled. "Hell, I'd even go as far as calling you Lucy," I said with a sneaky tone and raised an eyebrow.

"_Please don't,_" the demon replied with great discomfort showing in his voice. "_But I suppose you could call me Hanzo... I mean, it's all the same to me._"

"Hanzo-kun?"

"_You don't need the honorific..._" the demon said.

"Oh? We're dropping those, too?" I smirked.

"_Tsk._ _We didn't use them in our world, don't see the need to use 'em here,_" Urushihara said with obvious annoyance.

"You know you sound like a rambling old man, right?" I laughed.

"_Well... by human standards I probably _am_ a rambling old man,_" he said with his usual monotone. I laughed some more at that.

"You're too cute to be an old man," I said. And covered my mouth immediately after. The blush on my face was unavoidable. _I fucking hate myself._

"_Uh..._" Urushihara went quiet after that.

"I-I'm kidding! I mean... U-um..." I stuttered. "You- you're cute but- AGH! I mean I just, yeah. Sooo... Uh. I-I'll shut up... now..." It was quiet for a couple more seconds. Then, all of a sudden, Urushihara burst out into laughter.

"You still can't complete a sentence, can you?" he said between laughs. For a reason or another, that line got me - maybe it was because it was hilariously true. I joined in on his laughter, and we laughed together for more minutes than the sanity defined by humans would've allowed.

* * *

><p>I had just ended my Call with <em>Urushi-... Luci-... <em>Uh,_ Hanzo_, when the door opened and Ayame dragged herself in. There was a soft smile on my face when I turned around in my chair and leaned my chest and arms against it's back.

"You're home," I stated at the blonde.

"Well noticed," she replied and yawned. When I said she dragged herself in, I meant it. She looked totally beat.

"Did you wrestle a bear or something?" I asked, looking up and down her exhausted form.

"I might as well have been, but no. I was out and I happened to meet up with Etsuko-san... she and some other students from Sasahaki North were going to play baseball and I ended up going with them," she said and threw her bag next to the closet, strething her arms and back.

"Wearing that?" I chuckled and pointed at her outfit. She was wearing black skinny jeans, a black sweater and an orange scarf around her neck. "I'm surprised you didn't die of heatstroke."

"Well, you're not the only one," she said and removed her shoes, making her way to my side of the room and collapsing on my bed.

"Oy! Sleep on your own bed, asshat," I complained.

"But your mattress is so much softer..." she mumbled into my pillow as she made herself comfortable.

"They're the same mattress," I muttered with annoyment and turned to face my laptop again. I went through some new updated videos, finding myself something suitable to watch. Once I did find a proper video, however, Ayame decided to interrupt me.

"We should talk," she said, still obviously tired.

"We're talking right now," I said. "What's up?"

"No, I mean... about important stuff," she yawned and got up to a sitting position. I turned to face her and raised a brow.

"Like... what?" I asked suspiciosly.

"Like, what are we gonna do after school. Where are we gonna live, work and all that," she explained and leaned against the wall.

"Uhm... yeah, I guess that's a timely topic," I replied. "To be honest, I have been thinking about it a little, but... nothing too specific yet." Ayame sighed.

"I assumed so," she said and nodded. "I've been thinking about multiple solutions for us. The first thing we need to do is get new jobs - and hold them this time..." I nodded in agreement. "The last times we failed to understand how the human world works and caused trouble, but now that we've been living here a lot longer... we should be able to do it."

"Yeah, true... I remember the one time I accidentally set a copier on fire. It was when we were working at that new craft shop, right?" I giggled.

"I was just surprised you were able to even cause a fire without magic," Ayame shot with a smile. I huffed as a response. "Anyway... we should start looking for work as soon as possible. Also, we should find an apartment to rent."

"So, you're still willingly going to live with me?" I chuckled, but actually meant what I said.

"Yes, I am. I just think we have better chances of survival together," she hummed. I couldn't help but feel a little warm inside.

"Should we divide our jobs at looking, or...?" I asked.

"I think we should. I can go around searching for places to work and you can work on the apartment problem," Ayame said.

"Well, there's one place that comes to mind immediately... You can't say you haven't thought about it, too," I said, obviously reffering to Villa Rosa. Ayame paused for a moment.

"Yeah, I have thought about it, but I think it should be a last resort. I mean, it's cheap and we'd have people from our world near us incase something happened, but..." Ayame sighed.

"I know what you mean," I replied, lifting both of my legs on the chair and hugging them. The was a short silence with the both of us thinking.

It was ridiculous. We had once been angels, heroes and demons, but now that we were reduced to mere humans, citizens of Japan... Everything was so out of place but yet so simple at the same time. We didn't have hate towards the demons like Yusa and Kamazuki – maybe that was because we didn't have direct relations towards them (well, except for Hanzo, but that was debatable).

I'd never really thought about demons before I met those three. To me they were simply something hated on because of the angels' (and humans') history with them. I didn't want to pay too much attention to it, since it didn't directly affect me. Well, until the war it didn't. Maybe that's why I was oddly willing to spend time with them. Maybe I just wasn't afraid because I hadn't seen their powers in use.

I didn't know if it was the same for Ayame. I didn't know much about her past, I only knew her as the leader of my training group. We hadn't spoken about our pasts either since we arrived to Tokyo. We didn't even mention our home before Ayame broke our silence of it by bringing up my "oddness." _What about me is different, anyway? She couldn't clearly point it out,_ I remembered. Maybe I didn't need to know, maybe it was just her misunderstanding. It's not like we spoke that much in Heaven.

There was one thing I could come to think of to hate on the demons. My friends. They were sent to the war, weren't they? I wonder if they ever got to it. I wonder if they fought well, I wonder if they survi-

I shook the thought out of my head and hugged my legs a little tighter against myself. Ayame probably noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere around me, since she started talking again.

"Hey, it's not like we need to panic... We'll figure something out," she said. "Besides... Villa Rosa isn't a terrible option. We could maybe help Yusa-san and Kamazuki-san to keep an eye on the demons, hmm?" she smiled. "I know they've been working hard even under these odd circumstances."

"How do you know?" I asked and raised a brow at her.

"I forgot to tell you," Ayame realized, her eyes widening a bit. "Before I went out playing baseball, I met up with Yusa-san."

"You did?" I asked, now both of my brows raised.

"Yeah. She asked me out for coffee the other day, so I went," Ayame got up from the bed.

"So it seems... how come I wasn't invited?" I huffed. Ayame looked at me a bit apologetic. _What?_

"Umm, to be completely honest... she said she didn't trust you," she said.

"Why not?" I sighed like it wasn't obvious already.

"Well, first off, I was your superior," she began and made her way to her bag. "Second of all, you seem to favour Lucifer," she said and kneeled down to dig the inside of the bag. "And third, you steal." I giggled at the explanation.

"That all?" I asked with amusement. "In my opinion she could've asked me for coffee."

"It's not all..." she said, taking a box of some sort out of her bag. I studied it with care. "She... she said she thinks there's something off with you." I blinked. "She wasn't sure if she could trust you with this," Ayame said and placed the suspicious, smallish box on my studying table. I moved my computer out of the way. I looked at her with great curiosity and she nodded to me, giving me permission to open up the box. I grabbed it lids and opened it without ripping it too much.

""Holy Vitamin Beta?"" I read from the side of a brown bottle. The box was full of them, containing maybe fifteen in total. "What are these?" I looked at the blonde.

"It's something to replenish our celestial power," Ayame sighed. My eyes widened as I took another look at the bottle. "Yusa-san asked us to aid her, since she doesn't have too many allies around."

"What?! Seriously?" I asked and got up from my seat. Things were moving too fast for me. Ayame simply nodded.

"I was reluctant to take them at first because of our new lives here. I didn't want to risk it," she said. "But I guess you can't run from your past forever." She gave a wistful laugh.

"B-but... seriously? She asked us? Could we even do much to help her?" I spoke, confusion apparent in my voice. "And how come she trusted this stuff near me if she doesn't trust me?"

"I spoke on your behalf, obviously. I told her you haven't been yourself in a long time and she gave me the opportunity to decide for myself. I decided to trust you, so... don't betray my trust, okay?" Ayame said. She sounded so worried. _Is something really that off with me? _I gave her a simple nod and she smiled. "Now, I told her we couldn't go against Lucifer, but we would certainly help her if she ever called us."

"Huh..." I turned to stare at the box of bottles again. "So, now we have a side in the war..." I muttered, but Ayame seemed to have heard me clear enough.

"We've always had a side in the war," she said threateningly. "We've just failed to fulfill it." We stood there in silence as I gave a reluctant nod without looking at her. She gave a relieved sigh. "Well, now that that's over with... she said you can take a bottle twice a day, but you shouldn't replace a missed dose with two."

"What sort of gap should there be between bottles?" I lazily asked.

"About eight hours or so," Ayame said and sat on the side of my bed. "If we drink them regularly, we should be able to reach our full magic power at some point. It'll wither away like it usually does, however, so we should use those sparingly."

"Got it," I said and nodded at her.

"Hey," Amaya called at me and I flinched. "You... probably shouldn't get too attached," she said in a by-the-wayish manner. I nodded again, avoiding any words from slipping from my mouth. "Well, good night!" she suddenly chirped and took a comfortable position on my bed.

"HEY! GET OFF THERE!"

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**I know, it's heading into a slightly clichéd direction... I'll handle it, don't you even worry about it! XD**

**Anyways, I said I'd make up for the lost time and here's how I'll do it: I have all next three chapters planned out and I'll continue writing them the whole weekend (with pauses, of course) and I'll post them as soon as they're ready! So, keep your eyes open! :)**

**Oh, and we broke 1000 views in total, so thank you so much for that! We also broke 100 pages of text on my openoffice, so yay~! Party time!**

**Like always, I hope you liked this chapter and reviews would be *adored*, *loved* and *cherished.* I'll also love anyone who follows/favorites!**


	15. Chapter 14 - Old locks given in

**[A/N]**

**Here's the next chapter, as promised! I'm actually pretty glad with how this one turned out, so I hope you guys enjoy it! ^^**

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><p><span>Chapter 14 – Old locks given in<span>

I was indeed surprised when Chiho called me the other day. I hadn't expected her to even know my number, but I suppose she could've found it out from someone. When I picked up the phone, she spoke as cheerily as ever and asked me to hang out with her this Saturday. Of course I couldn't refuse, since she asked like that. Besides, I wanted to be on good terms with her – she was friends with the demons, after all. I wanted to find a peaceful spot between all the oddity and that meant to not piss anyone else off.

I stood beside the front wall of the coffee shop we'd agreed to meet at and played with my phone. I only raised my eyes from the screen to look at the people passing by if I thought I saw someone resembling Chiho. She was running a bit late, but I didn't want to get all worried yet. I didn't know her that well, maybe it was common for her.

I ran and jumped in the game, turning left, right, right, left... then jumped again, trying my best to outrun the monster chasing after my character. My brain was starting to space out as my muscles took over the game for me. I was completely focused on getting through the level. Right, right, right, right, jump, left...

Suddenly a text appeared on the screen: "Level 34 cleared." A smile spread across my face._ I did it! _I thought as I clicked "continue to next level."

"Hello!" Chiho yelled as she suddenly appeared next to me, making me jump back in surprise. That wasn't all, I was so surprised I ended up taking my battle stance. She looked at me with wide eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you...!" she said. "...too badly anyway," she muttered.

A weak blow of the wind played with Chiho's short, orange hair. She was wearing a dark denim skirt with a yellow top and a brown leather jacket. A small bag of a slightly lighter brown than her jacket was hanging from her shoulder. The outfit suited her curves, facial features and eye-colour perfectly and I couldn't help but admire it. I was wearing my black skirt and a dark grey hoodie with my hair tied on a high ponytail (I finally went out and bought some new pompoms) and my black bow tie tied on the right side of my head. I had my usual, large black bag hanging from my shoulder. I looked so casual compared to her, but I couldn't help it. The sky had been filled with grey clouds the whole day and I thought I should wear a hoodie just to be safe.

"I-it's fine," I said and corrected my position. I noticed I'd been squeezing my phone tightly in my grasp and looked at the screen. The text "Try again?" stood mockingly in front of me. I slammed the phone shut and sighed. "Hi, Chiho-chan," I said with a smile.

"Sorry I'm late... It's just that I... sort of made a mess at work and had to stay overtime to clean it up," she said, a pink blush taking over her face.

"Oh, so you're here straight from work?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm. My route home goes through here, so I often stop for coffee at this place," she said as she pointed at the very ordinary-looking coffee shop. "Wanna go in?" she suggested with a smile.

"That's why I'm here, right?" I replied and we entered the shop. There were only few tables and almost all of them were filled. She led me to the third table from the door and we sat down. A waitress walked up to us with a wide, practised smile.

"Hello and welcome again, Sasaki-san. The usual for you, hmm?" she asked, leaning slightly closer to us and letting her brown curls slide over her shoulders. _Shouldn't you tie your hair up at a job like this? The manager must have a crush on her or something._

"Yes, please," Chiho replied and corrected the position of her top. "It's nice to see Nakano-san again."

"Likewise," the brunette said and then turned to me. "And what would you like, miss?"

"Uh, you sell iced coffee, right?" I asked, avoiding eye-contact with the unknown lady.

"We do. I'll be right back with your orders," she said and went behind the counter.

"You don't have to be afraid of Nakano-san, she's really a nice woman," Chiho said, apparently having noticed my anxiousness.

"N-no, it's not her. I'm just not that good with strangers," I admitted with a slight blush.

"Oh, so you're like Urushihara-san, then?" Chiho giggled. "I suppose I could see you two together..."

"Uh, um... so, how's it going?" I asked, avoiding the topic completely. Chiho sighed before giving her answer.

"I'd like to say everything's just fine, but..." she drifted off for a while. I guessed Gina's affections towards Maou were really bothering her. "I actually called you because I wanted to talk to you about Gina-chan."

"Oh, so you're worried that-"

"Here are your orders! A cappuccino for Sasaki-san and an iced coffee for you," the brunette woman spoke as she placed the mugs in front of us. I hadn't even noticed her before she started talking.

"Thank you very much," Chiho said.

"Thank you," I added, staring down at my coffee.

"Call me if you need anything else," the woman spoke with a smile before disappearing to her duties again. I took a taste of my coffee before turning my attention back to Chiho (it was delicious by the way.)

"Um... so like I was saying, you're worried that Gina-chan might come between you and Maou-san?" I asked. I wanted to get to the root of the problem and then quietly leave the situation. She gave me a small nod without making eye-contact.

"But that's not all anymore. Last Wednesdey she appeared at my house," Chiho began. I raised my eyebrows in confusion. "She'd apparently gotten my address from one of my classmates. She said she had something important to talk to me about, so I invited her in. Like I expected, it was about Maou-san..." she said, sounding less and less willing to continue every sentence. "She said that she wants to be friends with me... but she'll still go after Maou-san."

"R-really...?" was all I could manage to say at first. "She really came over to your house to tell you that?" Chiho nodded.

"She told me how boys are always after her, asking for her to date them or just trying to please her. She said it annoyed her so much. After flirting with Maou-san at MgRonald's she said that she was very intrigued by the fact that her charm didn't seem to be working on him," Chiho explained. "She said he's the first guy she's been crushing on in a long time." The girl was squeezing her hands into tight fists.

"Damn," I said and took another sip of my coffee. "I noticed Gina getting a bit more... um, passionate about Maou-san, but I didn't expect her to go out of her way to do something like that," I said. "I mean, this is all new for me too."

"I really wanted to talk to one of her friends about this, since the situation is getting out of my hands. I mean, what can a normal girl like me do against a popular member of the student council?" Chiho whined and leaned herself against the table in defeat. "What if Maou-san actually falls for her?!" she yelled in despair and a small part of me found the current situation amusing. Love does weird things to people.

"C-calm down now, Chiho-chan..." I said and patted her head. "It'll be alright." She sighed and got up from the table. "Anyway... why didn't you call Amaya-chan instead of me? You've probably already noticed I'm not that good with situations involving... you know, _people_." That made Chiho giggle.

"Yeah, I got that sort of feeling from you," she said and I blinked a couple of times. "It's just that Ayame-chan doesn't seem to have feelings for anyone right now. I feel like I can relate to you better, since you seem to have taken an interest on Urushihara-san." I blushed.

"W-well..." I tried avoiding the topic again and took a sip of my coffee.

"Or am I wrong?" Chiho asked, clearly expecting for me to say no. I hesitated for a moment before carefully shaking my head, face partly hidden behind the coffee mug. "That's what I thought," she grinned. "So, do you think you'll be able to help me?" she asked and finally took a sip of her own coffee.

"I could try and talk to Gina-chan," I said and set my mug back on the table. "But I can't quarantee any results. She might not listen."

"I get that... but I appreciate you even trying for me," Chiho said with the warmest smile I've probably ever seen. If only she'd known I wasn't really doing it for her sake I might never have seen that expression. "Hana-chan...? Why are you blushing?" I placed a hand against my cheek, only now noticing the heat on them. _Damn._

"I-I just..." my eyes drifted to the floor. "So, Chiho-chan... you mind me asking if you've ever had another crush besides Maou-san?" I changed the topic.

"Maou-san is not a simple crush," Chiho said with clear seriousness. "He's... he's my first love," she said with sparkling eyes. The stare of her brown eyes left me speechless. "I'm not gonna give him up without a fight." _I can't believe you were in deep despair just moments ago._

"Is that so?" I asked with an amused smirk. She didn't seem to register my intentions completely, to my fortune.

"Hmm... what about you, Hana-chan? Did you crush on anyone back in your world?" she asked with a sneaky tone. "There must've been someone special to you." I flinched at that.

"W-well, obviously there were some guys... and it obviously didn't work out well with any of them," I spoke a little embarrased. I didn't like talking about my personal life and my past even less.

"Hmm? Guys? In plural? So you attracted them like Gina-chan, then?" she evilly chuckled. _How can a girl that cute transform into something that mean in such a short time?!_

"I-It's just that after living enough years you're bound to having had some kind of relationships...!" I practically yelled, trying to keep myself from blushing too much. Chiho raised a brow.

"How old are you, then? You seem like a normal teen to me," she asked with her head tilted to the side.

"I'm not telling you~" I said and crossed my arms in annoyment.

"How boring," Chiho complained. "But you're not eighteen? Huh."

"What do you mean "huh?"" I asked.

"It's just, I guessed that as angels and demons you wouldn't live the same lifespan as humans, but it's somehow hard to believe without actually knowing it..." Chiho said and leaned back in her seat with a focused expression. She was thinking, I realized.

"I bet it is," I hummed as a response and smiled at the redhead.

"Hey, would it be completely out of the question for you to tell me about your world? About Heaven? About, I don't know, your life there?" Chiho asked and leaned her elbows on the table. "I've been really curious for a while now, but Maou-san and the rest don't seem that willing to tell me anything." For some reason, there was a troubled look on Chiho's face. It didn't seem like it was only because of the fact that they weren't telling her anything, no. I don't know why, but I felt like it was something completely else.

"They probably just don't want you to get too involved so you don't get hurt," I assured.

"Mm-hmm, you're probably right," she replied with a wistful smile and took a sip of her coffee. I smiled at her.

"So, what would you like to hear?" I asked. It was true that I didn't like the topic, but somehow I felt like telling her about my past. Maybe it was just to get something off my chest, too. Her eyes seemed to light up.

"Well, for starters... umm... well, what's Heaven like?" she asked and leaned her chin against her hands.

"What's it like? Hmm..." I tilted my head to the side, thinking about my answer.

"I mean, is it all white and cloudy like on TV?" Chiho giggled.

"No," I giggled back. "It's not at all like that... well, it's sort of like that. It's... it's very beautiful, for starters. It's always summer, the sky is bright, the rain is soft and the wind is never too harsh. The flying weather's almost always perfect," I explained. "The buildings look like something out of your fantasy movies; white marble and crystal buildings reaching high up to the sky. The ground is covered in plants and flowers," I continued. "But even though the flowers and plants are beautiful, many of them are poisonous for humans. You guys couldn't eat almost any of them."

"So angels eat? I've heard demons don't have to," Chiho asked.

"Well, we don't really need to eat, but we can. Some of the plants there actually contain substances that can replenish or strenghten our magical powers," I explained. "Those plants are harvested in many places. I even had my own herb garden back at my house," I said with a smile. My smile disappeared when I remembered my friend ripping apart my yard. I shook my head to shake the memory for now.

"Wow, Heaven sounds like a cool place," the redhead said, her expression unchanging. "What about the rest of your world? Ente Isla?"

"I've never actually left Heaven, so I can't tell you much... only what I've learned from other angels," I chuckled. "I didn't welcome new places or people even back then."

"Oh," Chiho said, sounding a little disappointed. She took another sip of her coffee and I followed her example.

"You probably would have wanted to know about Maou-san's home, right?"

"Mmh, it would've been interesting to know what his life was like before," Chiho said, looking at the coffee mug in her hands. She had the same troubled expression from earlier.

"You don't seem like you want to know that bad," I thought out loud. Chiho turned to look at me and placed her mug on the table.

"You noticed..." she chuckled. "I guess there's no hiding it: I'm a little afraid."

"Afraid to know about Maou's past? Are you afraid you'd think differently about him...?" I asked, sort of drifting off at the end. It was only a guess, after all.

"N-no, it's not that! Whatever he did... it's in the past. It's just..." Chiho avoided eye-contact. "I don't want it to feel real. I don't want to bring too much life to your world, you know?" she spoke. "I don't want it to become a possibility that... he..." Chiho stopped talking completely.

"That he'd leave," I finished her sentence with a half-mutter and she nodded. I gave her a smile. "Come on, now. It doesn't seem like he's leaving anytime soon. I mean, he told us he has the means of gathering magic, but he hasn't taken on the task and decided to take off. There's obviously something keeping him here," I assured the other girl.

"I suppose you're right... I just..." Chiho ran her fingers on the top of her mug. "I don't want him to go." I sighed and drank the rest of my coffee. A silence followed as we stared down at our mugs in thought.

_Damn. This stupid situation is causing too much hassle. What the hell am I supposed to do with all this drama? Fucking fuck fucking a fucking duck. Fuck. This is why I don't socialize!_

"So, you'll be a senior next year, huh?" I asked with a smile, making an attempt at lightening up the atmosphere.

"Oh, that's right. And you'll be out of high school," Chiho joined in on my smiling. "Are you still avoiding any and all studying, Hana-chan?"

"Well, a little..." I admitted.

"You should pick up on your behaviour, there's only two weeks before the finals, right? You don't even have anymore school after next week, right?" Chiho pointed out.

"You're right, I don't! How come I hadn't even thought about it?" I sang.

"Hmm, maybe you're a little sad leaving school? It's only natural," she suggested.

"You're mistaken, I'm glad to get out of that hellhole," I huffed and crossed my arms. "No more math, no more English, no more scary teachers!"

"You're totally lying," Chiho said and pointed at me, holding in her laughter.

"Hmph," I said and my posture slumped a bit. Chiho dug out her phone from her small bag and opened it up.

"I have a little more time before I have to go home to dinner," she said and put back her phone. "I should probably ask something interesting before that..." she said, her eyes drifting away in thought. "Oh, I got curious when you said you never left Heaven. You can come and go from there, so is it just like a place you can go to? Like a country or something like that?"

"No, it's not like that," I told. "It's a world God has made especially for angels, His closest servants. The best way to describe it is as it's on dimension. Pure angels have the power to leave or enter it willingly, but if you're fallen, like Lucifer, you lose that power."

"So... God really exists, then?" Chiho asked. I eyed the table.

"Well... it's debatable, really. But quite obviously there is some sort of power higher than ourselves," I explained. "There's something that rules over that dimension, something that speaks to us and guards us. Some say the weather there represents His feelings, and it's hard for me to deny the possibility. The weather used to always be perfect before... before the war. After that it was always raining and storming, like God was crying."

"Are angels, humans and demons created by God, like we're taught at religious education?" Chiho asked and leaned her chin against her hands again.

"I don't know about demons' or humans' origins, but yes, angels are created by God," I said. "We're born from a blast of celestial light in the form of a young adult human with nothing but our name in mind. From personal experience, it's like someone's whispering it in your ear as you wake up from a long dream..." I stopped talking when I realized how personal my rant had suddenly gotten. "Oh, I'm sorry! I don't know if you really wanted to know all that..." I said and waved my hands in front of me apologetically. A blush was apparent on my cheeks.

"No, it's actually really interesting... everything in your world sounds so amazing," Chiho admired.

"It does? Hmm... I think your world is much more interesting than ours. Everything must be solved without magic. You've created so many things with only your minds as help, it's amazing!" I exclaimed and sat back in my spot. Chiho gave out a chuckle.

"I guess we're all attracted by the things we haven't experienced before."

"I guess you're right," I agreed with a soft smile. Chiho really was a pleasant person when we talked like this.

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><p>We stepped out of the coffee shop with smiles on our faces and stopped in front of it before leaving. Chiho had insisted on paying our drinks, since she called me here, which I was grateful of. I felt like I was getting softer every minute I spent with her, but surprisingly, I was alright with it.<p>

"Thanks for all this," Chiho said, blushing a bit.

"No, it was actually pretty fun chatting with you," I truthfully said and tilted my head. "You seem like a smart person."

"Eh, come on now! You're embarrasing me..." Chiho exclaimed.

"Sorry," I chuckled. "So, I'll see you around?"

"And I you," she replied. "Bye!" she said, waving as she headed over the street. I waved back and headed in my own direction, towards the dormitories.

I stuck my hands into my hoodie's pockets. It was a lot chillier than when I arrived and the wind was getting stronger, too. It played with my ponytail and clothes like they were it's favourite toys. I mostly kept my eyes on the street so the wind wouldn't get to them, too. The most pressing thought in my mind was how the hell I would get Gina to cooperate with me.

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**Building up relationships is fuunn... *sings by herself* Ahem, anyway, did you guys enjoy the chapter? Hope you did. :3 The next two will be posted up today or Sunday. We'll have to see, I suppose - but I am in the mood for writing right now. **

**I probably have to force myself to keep breaks, because it takes me at least four hours straight if I start writing a chapter without interruptions. I need to eat and sleep and all that other human stuff!**

**Anyway, please favorite, follow and review! I would love you for it! Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	16. Chapter 15 - Color spectrum of emotion

**[A/N]**

**Here's your new chapter. :3 I had a little trouble with the last part, but it's tolerable.**

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><p><span>Chapter 15 – Color spectrum of emotion<span>

As soon as I woke up I just knew I'd slept in. After doing so for so many years you started to pick up on the feeling of it – hell, even after weeks of doing so you started to notice the difference. The sun was shining unpleasantly on my face between the closed curtains. I reluctantly opened my eyes and covered the lightsource with my hand.

I laid on my bed a few more minutes before getting up into a sitting position, yawning and stretching. I looked for my phone from the sheets and found it from somewhere near my feet. I checked the time. 13:43. _Huh, I guess I didn't sleep that long after all._ I closed the lid of the flip phone and got up from the bed, oversized t-shirt hanging down to my thighs.

I made my way to the small fridge and placed my phone on top of it. I opened it up and looked at it's insides. A few yogurts, butter, microwave pizzas and a few cans of tuna. _Not really anything I'd like to eat right now..._I took a can of yogurt and made my way to my studying table.

Before I could even look for a spoon I noticed a pink post-it note plastered on my computer. I took it with my free hand and read it. "I'm over at Nobuko-san's, studying." It was written in Ayame's handwriting and there was a little drawing of an eye at the bottom. It was definitely left there by her. I hadn't even noticed she was gone until just now.

I glued the note on my table, since the walk over to the trash can seemed to be too much trouble and sat down on my computer chair. I put the can of yogurt on the table and hovered my hand over the drawers before picking one to open it up. _The third one_, I remembered and pulled it open to find myself a plastic spoon.

I opened the lid of my laptop and flinched at it's bright light. I wrote in the password and immediately went to check my video subscribtions, new episodes on animes and any possible events on RoW and Hearthrock. I opened up the tin lid of the yogurt and stuck my spoon in it, starting to shovel the substance in my mouth.

I went through my usual morning routine until I realised something. It was an accident, really. I was just checking time from the bottom corner of my screen and happened to see the date. It looked suspicious to me, so I checked which weekday it was. Sunday. My eyes widened in surprise. How could I have forgotten?

I went to grab my phone from the fridge and opened it's lid. I went to the contacts and found Hanzo's number, pressing the "call"-button without even thinking about it. I hoped he had slept in too, since he hadn't messaged me yet.

"Yo, Hanzo," I gave a light chuckle at the new name.

"_You sound tired,_" he responded and after that I heard a yawn.

"So do you," I pointed out. "Did you just wake up?"

"_I did. Why?_" he asked. "_Oh, wait... you're coming here today, right?_" he suddenly realized, his tone sounding a little less tired.

"Mm-hmm," I said and yawned. I must've caught that yawn from him. "When can I come over?" I asked and made my way to my chair.

"_Whenever you want to,_" he plainly said.

"Great... I'll be there in an hour, okay?" I said and muffled my long hair around my hand. _Lucky I took a shower yesterday night, so there's no need for one now. _

"See you then," he replied and ended the call before I could reply. I looked at the screen with tired eyes before turning back towards my computer. After checking through all the tabs I closed them and shut the lid of my computer. I got up and walked over to the closet with sloppy steps and opened it up to search it's insides.

I had to kneel to reach the bottom shelves without too much discomfort and reached for the light green computer bag on my side. I pulled it out of the closet and as soon as I was about to close the closet door, I noticed something. I froze in place for a moment, staring at the box of Holy Vitamin Beta on Ayame's side, carelessly hidden under an old hoodie. _Should I...?_

I reached my hand slowly towards a bottle only to leave it hovering over it. I pulled my hand slightly back, folding my fingers closer to my palm. I stayed in that position for quite a while before gathering my courage and grabbing one of the bottles.

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><p>I left the dorm room, now fully dressed and otherwise cleaned up. My long, curly, white and green hair was left open with the little, black bow tied on the right side. I wore a black, slightly see-through collar shirt with a black top underneeth it, a yellowish green high-waisted skirt with little red flower patterns and a completely unmatching grey hoodie. My sneakers didn't fit into the outfit either, since their coloring consisted of black and purple. On my left shoulder hung both my computer bag and my regular bag, pressing uncomfortably against it.<p>

I walked through the hallway towards the staircase, holding back another yawn. My eyes wondered on the walls and dooes of the hallway, suddenly stopping on a familiar number and freezing me where I stood. I blinked a couple of times before walking over to Nobuko's door. _I might as well tell Ayame-chan where I'm going while I'm here._ I knocked on the door and waited for a response.

I heard footsteps close in and then a short, brown-haired girl opened the door, wide smile on her face. She was wearing a pink t-shirt and light blue denim shorts.

"Hello, Hana-san~! Fancy seeing you here. Came to study?" Nobuko cheerily spoke as she headed inside the room, leaving the door open for me. I stepped inside and looked around in the neatly decorated room. Ayame was sitting on the bed in the right side of the room. It looked similar to ours with two beds, tables and a large bookcase in the middle, but the blue walls weren't completely covered in posters and drawings.

"Hi, Wakahisa-san," a pretty black-haired and brown-eyed girl on the floor greeted with a smile. She had a pile of books and notebooks in front of her, like the other two girls.

"Hey," I greeted, turning my attention immediately to Ayame. I didn't really care about dealing with Nobuko's roommate. "Ayame-chan, just wanted to let you know I'm going over to Hanzo's."

""Hanzo's?"" she chuckled and I looked away from her. "You could've texted me, honey."

"I know, but I was passing by, so I thought I'd say hi..." I said and raised my hand up to wave at the girls.

"You can come study with us when you get back, Hana-san," Nobuko suggested and sat back in her spot at the studying desk.

"I'll think about it," I smirked in disbelief. I was just about to leave the room when Ayame spoke again:

"Oh, and Hana-chan?"

"What is it?" I asked with an annoyed look.

"Your hoodie doesn't match."

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><p>I walked through the streets with a hand around my mid-section. I was holding the hoodie around my body without actually zipping it up, since it seemed like too much effort. The wind was stronger than the day before, but at least it wasn't cloudy. The sun was shining pleasantly against my bare skin as I headed towards Villa Rosa Sasazuka.<p>

I was quite enjoying the so far peaceful day when I heard my phone go off. I dug it out the black bag with slight effort, cursing under my breath. After managing to grab onto the device, I opened it up to check my text messages.

_**Hanzo Urushihara**_

**Can you go by the store?**

I raised my brows at the message before replying to it.

_**You**_

**Why? And do you have to text? I hate typing on my phone.**

_**Hanzo Urushihara**_

**If I call, they'll notice. I want you to grab us something to eat.**

_**You**_

**Why can't they notice? "Us" as in...?**

_**Hanzo Urushihara**_

**You and me. Maou and Ashiya are going out to eat and I already know they're gonna come back with only a pork bowl.**

_**You**_

**Oh? I still don't get why they can't notice.**

_**Hanzo Urushihara**_

**They won't let me ask you for food if they do.**

I sighed at the messages, taking a turn towards the nearest convenience store as I walked.

_**You**_

**Fine, I'll bring you your stupid food.**

* * *

><p>"Come on in," Maou said as he opened me the door.<p>

I took off my shoes and took a look around the room 201. Everything looked as normal as it could be, but for some reason there was something uncomfortable in the atmosphere. I headed over to Hanzo and placed down my bags next to the computer table.

"Hey," I greeted and waved at the demon. He turned to look at me from his screen.

"Hey..." he replied, for some reason his eyes staying on me a little longer than usual. I raised a brow at his reaction and subtly turned my head away to look at the other two demons.

"It's really becoming a habit for you to come over," Maou said as he wandered around the room somewhat aimlessly, looking at his phone.

"I guess it has..." I agreed, looking over at Ashiya, who was placing dryed clothes into their closet. "How come everyone's so quiet?" I asked. The atmosphere was really starting to bug me.

"No reason," Maou replied and put away his phone. His MgRonald's smile took over his previosly neutral expression as he grabbed a magazine from the table and sat down to read it. "Ashiya, are you ready yet?" he pointed his question to the blond.

"Just a moment, sire," Ashiya replied as he continued his task.

"Just pretend those two are air," Hanzo said with narrowed eyes. I gave an awkward chuckle before sitting down at the table.

"You're gonna have to make room for me, you know," I said, looking at the table. His laptop wasn't the only thing taking the space, there were also empty bags of chips and candy, white speakers and a maybe console of some sort. Probably bought without Maou's permission, as usual. I couldn't fit my own laptop on the table with all the junk he'd gathered.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll do that. Just give me a second," Hanzo said as he began moving his equipment out the way. I thought I might as well help, so I grabbed one of the speakers to move out of the way. As I was moving the thing, I noticed a strange cord tangled to it. It came from the laptop, but it wasn't the power cord. I followed it with my eyes from the table to the window.

I set down the speaker to get up from my spot and head over to the window, seeing Hanzo looking at me from the corner of my eye. I moved the drapes slightly out of the way to see where the cord connected. It was a web camera pointing outside.

"What's this?" I asked, pointing at the device.

"Oh, that – it's a security camera," he said and went back to clearing the table. "I installed it to keep an eye on the street."

"Why the hell would you do that?" I asked and looked outside the window.

"Just incase we need to make a quick escape or something," he said with his monotone. "There, you have your space. Happy now?" _So he does actually help around?_

"I am," I replied with a smile and sat at the opposite end of the table from him. I took out my laptop from the computer bag and started setting my stuff in front of me. We were set at the ends of the table so that we couldn't see eachothers' screens, Hanzo on the closet side.

"I'm ready to leave now, Maou-sama," Ashiya said and looked at us from the corner of his eye. "Should we ask Kamazuki-san to keep an eye on them?" he added, removing the olive green apron he always wore.

"We don't need a babysitter," Hanzo hissed at the blond.

"I strongly disagree," Ashiya said and folded up the peace of cloth in his hand before placing it in the closet. "Well, sire? What is your desicion?" Maou looked at us with a neutral expression.

"Well, I wouldn't want them going off destroying bridges again," Maou sighed and I simply blinked at him. _Really, now? No trust on me? Uh, I suppose I dug my own grave... _"I think we should call her here just for precaution," he continued and stood up, placing a hand against his hips. "Sorry about that," he said, pointing his words to me. I shrugged with another awkward smile. "Let's head out, Ashiya." Ashiya gave me and Hanzo a wide grin. I suppose you could say he won this round.

The demon king and his right hand man took their leave with few words exchanged with us. They only warned us not to bother Kamazuki too much, which I at least had no intention in doing. It was about two minutes of alone time that I got with Hanzo after they left.

"What are they going out to celebrate, anyway?" I asked with an amused look.

"I think Maou got another raise or something... He's such a hard-working employee it's ridiculous," Hanzo sighed. "They could at least bring me leftovers when they go out, but no." I chuckled at his problem.

"Sounds pretty mean. I guess you really pissed them off when you came here," I said and started my computer. He simply shrugged at me, his eyes shifting on his own screen.

"Oh, right – did you bring food with you?" he said, turning to look at me again. I folded my arms.

"I did. I hope frozen pizza's fine with you," I said and took my black bag. I opened up it's zipper and took out the pizza boxes that just barely fit inside it. "I wasn't going to spend my money on anything more expensive."

"Hmm? At least it's better than pork bowl," he said and took the boxes from me. "I'm sort of surprised you didn't just steal these," he added with a smirk as he got up and headed towards the kitchen counters. It was a weird image of him standing there, since he usually only sat at the computer. He set the pizza boxes on the counter, turned on the oven and headed back over to his spot at the laptop.

"They were way too big to properly hide... Besides, I had money with me, so I didn't see the need to," I huffed. He chuckled as he sat down. "Why does everyone cling to the stupid 500 yen thing, anyway?" I asked with a tone slightly more aggravated. Urushihara simply looked at me with an insufferable smirk.

Both of our eyes moved from eachother to the door, when it opened without a warning and a blac-haired girl in a kimono walked in. She bowed as she entered, looking around in the room like I had.

"Maou-dono asked me to keep an eye on you," Kamazuki said and closed the door behind her.

"We know," Hanzo huffed and avoided looking at the young girl.

"No need to be rude, Lucifer. After the problems you've caused for your friends-"

"Not my friends," the purple-haired demon shot with narrowed eyes. Kamazuki sighed before continuing.

"After the problems you've caused you shouldn't expect anyone to fully trust you," she finished and walk farther inside the room. "Nice to see you again, Wakahisa-dono. I'm sorry for the inconvenience this arrangement might cause you," Kamazuki said with a warm smile. I blushed at her words.

"N-no, it's fine. It's totally, perfectly fine," I assured, avoiding eye-contact with anyone in the room. _Stop treating me so nicely, it's making me feel uncomfortable... _I got distracted from my thoughts when I heard Hanzo sighing. I looked towards him only to see him staring back. "What is it?"

"You realize that your hoodie doesn't match, right?" he asked with a disappointed look.

"Shut up. When did you become a fashion guru, anyway?" I hissed at the fallen angel. _Not him, too._

"It's hard not to pay mind to things poking at your eye," he said, beginning to sound like a philosopher. A slight growl escaped my throat as I took off the grey hoodie and laid it on my bags.

"There, happy?" I asked with obvious annoyment, glaring at him.

"Why should I be? It's just a hoodie," he said with a smirk. I let all my anger out in the form of a loud sigh.

"Whatever," I replied, starting up my Hearthrock. "How do you wanna play first?" I asked.

"Is this all you're going to eat today?" Kamazuki asked out of nowhere. Hanzo and I both turned to look at her with wide eyes, neither of us having realized she'd made her way to the kitchen counters and that she was now looking at our frozen pizzas. "This isn't very nutricious food."

"Could you just read a book or something? You're being annoying," Hanzo complained at the assassin. She gave him a deadly glare that seemed to make the demon flinch, even if only slightly.

"I'm trying to be friendly. You're going to get sick if you eat nothing but this junk," Kamazuki ranted with her own monotone voice. "This literally has no nutritional value."

"Well it's lucky you're not the one eating it," Hanzo said and turned to look at his computer screen again. I simply followed the conversation, trying to disappear into the floor.

"Neither are you," the girl in the kimono said as she took the boxes and stuffed them into the freezer. "I'll grab some actual ingredients from my apartment and make you a proper dinner," she said as she walked over to the door, exiting the apartment. Hanzo gave out a loud sigh.

"At least it's not pork bowl, right?" I said and gave him a small smile. To my surprise, he smiled back.

* * *

><p>After Kamazuki returned she made us cook the dinner with her. I didn't mind, since I didn't get to do much cooking and I found it somewhat fun. Hanzo was very reluctant to even lift a figer, but for a reason or another he seemed to follow Kamazuki's orders after a short debate. We made sushi rolls, and after tasting them when they were done, they were one of the most (if no <em>the<em> most) delicious sushi rolls I'd ever tasted. I couldn't help but admire Kamazuki's cooking skills.

After eating together Kamazuki and Hanzo did the dishes. I offered my help (mostly so I wouldn't destroy the friendly image I'd built for Kamazuki), but was denied by the black-haired girl, since I was a guest. After that me and Hanzo moved back to our computers while Kamazuki found herself a book to read. She seated herself at the other table, sometimes looking at us from behind her novel.

"So, should I use the spell now, or...?" I asked, looking over at Hanzo.

"No, you can do better damage if you save it," he said. "You should build up the attack power of your minions for this turn, if you can, and attack my hero."

"Oh, I guess you're right," I chuckled and followed his instructions.

"Of course I'm right," he said with a proud smirk as I ended my turn.

"You're getting way too cocky," I said, an eyebrow raised. "It's not like you're rank one either."

"No, but I'm rank three," he said, ending his turn with great damage done. "You're stuck at nineteen and eighteen."

"Well, excuse me for not being perfect," I sighed. "So now do I use the spell?" Hanzo nodded.

"You might win if you do as I say," he said and leaned his ching against his hand. "_Might._"

"Oh, so your teaching aren't that great after all, is what you're saying?" I shot.

"Mm, no, I'm saying you're stupid enough to fuck up even the easiest task given," he shot back.

"Must you always be so mean?" I asked with a cute, playful huff. He didn't respond, but his expression seemed to have slightly changed. I didn't realize there was a light blush on his cheeks until he lifted his eyes from the screen to take a quick look at me. I didn't know how to react, so I just ended up blushing myself. _Why are we always so awkward?_ I thought, both of us suddenly looking away from eachother in silence.

"Ahem." The silence was broken by a quiet noise made by the third person in the room. Kamazuki had hidden her face behind her book and just sat there. She must've followed the conversation enough to realize the awkwardness of the moment.

"A-anyway! So, umm, what's up with the weather these past days, huh?!" I practically yelled in my panic. Hanzo flinched back, obviously scared at my reaction.

"Stop yelling, you're giving me a heart-attack!" he yelled back.

"I'm sorry!" I replied and buried my face into my hands. There was another short silence before Hanzo broke it with a sigh.

"It's been pretty windy, I guess... I mean, it's not like I've been outside, but I've seen the trees bend through the window," he replied. _Wait, he actually replied to my question? It was obviously just a panic-question. Why the hell would he answer it?!_

"Uh, yeah... I like stormy weather, but I don't like it when it prevents me from wearing skirts," I said.

"You're wearing one today, aren't you?" Hanzo raised a brow at my statement.

"Well, yeah, but... it wasn't _that_ windy when I came here," I argued, looking outside the window. "What is this weird topic, anyway?"

"I don't know, you were the one who started it," the demon argued. "What would you like to talk about, then?" _Just... one thing. _My heart skipped a beat.

"Nothing special," I lied, turning to look at my computer screen with my practised cool. "Have you heard about the new updates coming to RoW?"

* * *

><p>We continued our playing throughout the whole afternoon. After some time Maou and Ashiya came back from their dinner and indeed brought only pork bowl with them. Hanzo declined the meal and Kamazuki explained we'd already had dinner. After that she left, leaving us and our awkward moments with a pleasure, I guessed. The afternoon went fine, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized something.<p>

After Kamazuki left, I felt... relieved. First I couldn't understand why I felt so strongly about her precence and that when she was gone a smile spread across my face. I didn't realize it until I'd collected my stuff and left the apartment. Only then my mind started working properly.

I was jealous. I was jealous of the odd connection between Kamazuki and Hanzo. I was jealous of the way he listened to her and jealous of the way she looked after him. I knew it was ridiculous, those two would never work together. They were way too different. It didn't change the fact that I was being jealous out of my mind. I hated the possessive feeling that took over my mind, but even when I tried to brush it away, I couldn't. I couldn't get rif of-

Before I knew it, I'd hit something that wasn't supposed to be there and fell against the hard tarmac. I gave out a quiet scream as I fell on my ass and watched my bags hit the ground.

"What the hell?!" I yelled, looking over at the thing I'd ran into. It wasn't quite what I was expecting.

"Ouch..." a pink-haired woman in a white pencil dress and a blue jacket complained as she got up on her feet. "I'm sorry – are you alright?" Yusa asked and froze as she realized who I was. "Wakahisa-san..."

"I'm just fine," I replied, taking my computer bag from the ground and seeing if the laptop was still intact. It didn't at least seem broken, but I knew I had to take a closer look at it back at the dormitory. Yusa offered me her hand and I grabbed it. She helped me up with ease and I picked up my other bag as well.

"Are you coming from the demons' place?" she asked, looking over at the building behind the concrete wall.

"I am... I'm more curious what you're doing here, Yusa-san" I said with my head slightly tilted to the side. Yusa seemed to have went a little difficult after that.

"Well, I'm doing my duties as the Hero..." she said.

"You're... stalking them?" I asked, looking up at the building again.

"I'm _not_ stalking them! I'm making sure they don't cause any trouble!" she yelled, hands squeezed into fists. I flinched at the reaction, backing away half a step.

"Okay, I get it... Sorry," I said and gave her a nervous chuckle. "Didn't mean to offend your honor." Yusa sighed, yellow-green eyes taking a look at the tarmac before returning to me.

"I sense celestial energy on you..." she started, starling me with her sudden change of subject. "I guess Honda-san decided to trust you. I guessed she would."

"Uh, yeah..." I replied a little awkwardly, squeezing my hands around my bags' starps.

"I hope you'll live up to her trust," she said with narrowed eyes, making me back away again. _Why was she being so serious? Could no one trust me at all?_

"I will," I said with a shaky voice, eyeing the tarmac. The redhead scared me when she was like this.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude... It's just that this is a very serious matter, and as far as I've understood, you're not a person that's usually being considered very serious," she said, her tone slightly softer.

"Uh, I guess not, but I can be serious if I want to," I argued, gathering some of my lost courage. Yusa nodded.

"Good. I just want to know that there are allies I can trust incase thigs go downhill," she said. "The situation we're put in isn't easy..."

"I know," I replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry for keeping you. I should head home as well," she said and let out a slight chuckle. It eased my mind a bit and I gave her a smile.

"It's fine, I'm not in a hurry," I said.

"I'll see you around, Wakahisa-san," Yusa said as she headed down the street with a smile. I waved at her before heading my own way.

I hadn't noticed it myself, but the celestial magic I'd harvested from the Holy Vitamin Beta had been getting stronger over the day. I looked at my hand and saw a slight green glow eminating from it. The feeling of magic on my fingertips was so familiar... I hadn't even realized how much I'd missed it until that moment. My lips curved into a smile as I headed towards Sasahaki North.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]**

**This chapter could be better, but the points come across enough. I'm not so happy with the conversations between Hana and Lucy, since they mostly consist of sass and awkwardness, but I'll try to work on that in the later chapters. I also noticed I'm having some trouble with Suzuno's and Emi's characters, but I'm doing my best. :'D **

**Negative stuff aside, there's one more chapter coming this weekend! :D Are you ready, are you ready, are you ready for me~? Are you ready? Let's go! (An old Finnish pop song.)**

**Anyways, I'd love it so much if you'd follow, favorite and/or review this story. It would honestly mean so much to me! :3 Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one!**


	17. Chapter 16 - No asylum for lunatics

**[A/N]**

**This is the last chapter for this weekend!**

**Sorry about the first part, I'm aware it's a bit clichéd. It's just where my writing took me. XD Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 16 – No asylum for lunatics<span>

The school day had just ended. Usually I would've headed back to the dormitory after finishing my last class, but today was different. Ayame looked somewhat dumbfounded when I told her to go back without me. I told her I had something to do and ran off before she could say anything else.

I found a spot at the school's perimeter, a corner with a couple of trees, bushes and a concrete fence blocking the view to the street. It was just far enough from the school and dormitory buildings that there wasn't a proper view to the corner from there, either. I sat beside a tree, enjoying the cool shadow it gave me. I pulled my knees slightly closer to my chest and pulled my left hand in front of me.

I looked at my hand and let the light green glow take over it's surface. A grin spread to my face when I felt the familiar magic power running through my fingers. _Oh, how much I've missed this feeling. _I trickled my fingers slightly and the glow from my fingers created small electric beams that went from finger to finger. I chuckled at the tickling sensation. If Ayame would've seen what I was doing, she would've scolded me. And for a reason, since I shouldn't have been wasting the little magic we had. I just couldn't resist. Since last Sunday I'd wanted to do something with it.

I squeezed my hand into a fist and opened it again. I watched as a glowing, green flower grew from my palm. It looked a little like what this world would call a bluebell. My smile turned into a wistful one - it reminded me of the flowers at my garden. _I used to grow this type under my windows_, I remembered. The longer I kept staring at the flower with emptying eyes I couldn't help but think about my home. For some time now I'd noticed my feelings towards my past getting stronger and stronger. To be completely honest, I missed my past home... more than I probably should have. _Was it really the right choice to leave...?_

"Hana-san?" Etsuko called me from about ten meters away. I closed my hand and the glowing flower disappeared.

"Yes?" I asked with an uncharacteristically friendly smile and slid my left hand into my bag.

"What are you doing here all alone? And what the hell was glowing?" Etsuko asked and crossed her arms. Until now I hadn't noticed that there was a group of other students a few meters behind her.

"Oh, just my phone," I said, pulled out the flip phone from my bag and presented it to the incredulous brunette. "I just thought I'd come here to sit and relax for a while, ya'know?" I said, taking a look at the sky. Only now I realized how beautifully blue it was today.

"You're such a weirdo," Etsuko giggled. The other teens eyed me from behind her. "Hey, instead of spending time by yourself, why don't you come hang out with us?" she continued with a surprisingly genuine tone. _Maybe it's because of them_, I thought, looking at the group of teens.

"I don't know... I mean, uh..." I tried to come up with an excuse to not go. I didn't like hanging out with strangers.

"Stop being so shy!" Etsuko exclaimed and made her way to me. She grabbed my arm before I could resist and pulled me towards the group.

"H-hey!" I yelled and pulled myself out of her grasp after realizing what had happened. It was too late, however, since I was already standing in the circle of the unknown students. I looked around myself, already feeling the blush creeping up on my face.

"Etsuko-san, you really have some cute friends," one of the guys said after taking a look at me. I bet he thought he was being real smooth. "What's your name?" he asked with a smug smile.

"Uh... erm," I stuttered, both hands tight around my bag's strap. "Hana Wakahisa." The students looked at me with wide smiles. There were about ten in total, didn't care enough to count the specific number. Four boys. All of them were wearing Sasahaki North uniforms.

"Oh, you're friends with Matsuoka-san, right?" one of the girls asked. I nodded. _So that's how I'm known around the school?_

"No, wait! I remember her from something else, too. Wasn't she the girl that totally killed at the karaoke at Akira-kun's party last year?" another girl said. I had hoped nobody remembered that. It was one of Etsuko's bright ideas to drag me into that party and make me sing in front of everyone. I was embarrased beyond belief then.

"Oh, yeah! That's right. You're _that_ Wakahisa-san," the smooth guy said and made his way to me. "Hey, why won't you come over to my house to practise those lips sometime?" he said and slid an arm on my elbows. _That's it. _A couple of guys and even girls laughed at his attempt at hitting on me.

"I don't know about my lips, but my feet certainly could use some training. Would you like one up your ass?" I smirked at the guy. His expression turned into a surprised one and a couple of the girls started laughing uncontrollably – little did they know I had full intentios of actually carrying out my threat if the guy wouldn't back off. The situation felt so clichéd it almost killed me.

"That's enough, Kenta-kun, leave my bitch alone," Etsuko laughed and wrapped an arm around my waist. I looked at her with an unpleasant expression, but at least her claiming of me made the guy move away.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," the guy called Kenta apologized, the smug smile returning on his face. Etsuko let go of my waist with an expression that I swore said "you owe me."

"Believe it or not, he's actually a nice guy. He's just a little pushy," a girl with long, black hair said. _Wait, isn't that Nobuko's roommate? Huh. _I hadn't recognized the traditional japanese beauty until now. It was probably because of all the hassle.

"Anyways, where should we go for food? SFC?" one of the guys suddenly asked, changing the topic completely. I felt my phone vibrating in my bag and looked towards it.

"No way, the manager is _so_ creepy," one of the girls replied with a judging tone. "He's always flirting with all the girls even though he's probably old enough to be their father. I mean, ew."

"Does that mean you wanna go to MgRonald's or something? We've spent way too many hours there already. I'm fed up with the place by now," the guy said. I stopped following the conversation after hesitating for a while and took out the phone from my bag. I opened the lid to check my messages.

_**Hanzo Urushihara**_

**What's up?**

_Why the hell is he texting me?_

_**You**_

**Why the hell are you texting me?**

_**Hanzo Urushihara**_

**Uh... I was bored? I don't know. Wanna play HR?**

_**You**_

**Right now?**

I looked around in the ring of students - everyone seemed to have forgotten about my precence. It was my chance to slip out of the situation. I turned my attention back to my phone again.

_**Hanzo Urushihara**_

**Well it's not like you have anything better to do, right?**

_**You**_

**No, I don't. Hey, could I come over while we're at it?**

It wasn't only an opportunity to slip out of the current situation, it was also a chance to spend time with Hanzo. A smile crept up on my face.

_**Hanzo Urushihara**_

**If you can stand the housewife... sure.**

I chuckled out loud.

_**You**_

**LOL, I think I can handle him. I'll be right there.**

I closed the lid of my phone and slipped it into my bag. I looked through all the teens and noticed they'd apparently finished their conversation about where they were going to eat. They were all drifting away from the school territory.

"You coming, Wakahisa-san?" Nobuko's roommate called.

"N-no, sorry! I just realized there's somewhere I have to be right now," I said and backed away from the group. "Sorry," I said and shrugged. The death stare on Etsuko's face was piercing when I started jogging towards the girls' dormitory._ I'm choosing demons over a group of harmless teens_, I reminded myself.

* * *

><p>I made it into our dormitory room and as soon as I was inside I leaned my back against the door, a relieved sigh escaping my lips.<p>

"So, you're back," Ayame said from her studying desk without turning to look at me.

"Yeah," I replied and threw my school bag on my bed. I went straight over to the computer to collect the stuff I needed to bring over to Hanzo's.

"Where were you?" Ayame asked and looked at me over her shoulder.

"You know, just, out..." I said, avoiding the answer. I was pretty sure she could've guessed it, though.

""Just out", huh?" she sighed. At that moment I knew she knew. "Well, anyway... I noticed you started using the Holy Vitamin Beta," she said and turned around in her chair. I turned towards her, too.

"You too," I said. "I can sense the celestial energy all over you."

"Mmh, I couldn't resist the temptation," she chuckled. "I hadn't realized how much I missed magic."

"I know exactly what you mean," I chuckled back.

"We shouldn't waste it though," she said with a raised brow and a judging tone.

"I know, I'm sorry mom," I sighed and went back to packing my computer.

"I know you know, and I know I can't control what you do with your magic, either. But remember that you promised to be responsible with it," she said. She spoke like a parent giving life lessons to their child. I nodded. "Sorry, It's just..."

"I'm different?" I chuckled. She seemed taken aback for a moment. "I remember our fight just fine."

"Yeah. Sorry," she simply said before turning back to her books. She didn't say anything else after that and the silence left me feeling vulnerable. I didn't get why, so I just brushed off the feeling with a sigh.

* * *

><p>I'd arrived at the demon castle about an hour ago. Things looked very normal with Maou being at work, Ashiya doing the house-hold chores and glaring at me and Hanzo when he got the chance, and of course, me and Hanzo sitting at the ends of the computer table with our laptops. We'd been playing Hearthrock the whole time I'd been there and until this game I had been on a losing streak. My next move, however, turned the tides with a huge blast.<p>

"HAA! DID YOU SEE THAT?! I TOTALLY BEAT YOUR ASS!" I screamed and raised my fists to the air when the text "You win!" appeared on my screen. I couldn't remember the last time I was so excited. "Well, what do you have to say now, _champion_?" I said, putting heavy sarcasm on the word "champion." Hanzo just sighed and leaned his chin against his hand.

"Well, it was one victory out of, what, fifty past games? Probably more," he said and gave me his most annoying smirk. I folded my arms.

"You just can't handle the fact that I'm gonna totally wreck you from now on," I shot with a confident grin. He shrugged.

"We'll see about that... wanna go again, "champion?"" he asked with his monotone. The victory grin was still firmly placed on my face.

"You sure you wanna taste defeat so soon again?" I chuckled as I accepted his game request.

"Alright, I get it – you did good. Can you please stop being annoying now?" he sighed. I blushed at his words but still didn't lose my grin.

"I don't think it's possible for me to not be annoying~" I half-muttered. "One could say there's no winning for you in this situation," I said, holding back my laughter. The demon sighed and rolled his eyes.

"It looks like I'm gonna have to destroy you this time... I didn't know winning a game would turn you into that," he said. I raised a brow.

"Turn me into what?" I huffed.

"You know, unbearable," Hanzo said before ending his turn in the game. I flinched slightly. That's right, I wasn't a very competitive person. I never celebrated a victory and didn't complain if I lost. The only people who'd ever gotten me to really want something were Flamm (remember my redheaded friend from Heaven?), Etsuko and Hanzo.

Flamm always used to challenge the things I was confident with myself and that of course dented my pride. I always felt so good when beating him in flying and so terrible when I lost to him at fighting. In the end, however, he always managed to make me smile. I shook the thoughts of him out of my mind before I could push myself to the edge of depression again.

The second person who always got me competitive was Etsuko. When I met her she seemed like a normal girl. Her friendly attitude pulled me into her circles, but before I knew it, I started seeing the other side of her. I realized she lived on attention of other people. I noticed how she was cabable of tying them around her little finger without even having magic. I noticed how arrogant she was. For some reason I never found the courage or will to stand against her, so I had to stay silent about the whole matter. The whole situation annoyed me so much.

The third and final person who got me celebrating a victory was Hanzo. The relationship I had with him reminded me of the one I had with Flemm, because we always threw empty insults at eachother. We had similar tastes in how we spent our time and it felt like we had a similar view of the world. I hadn't known him for long, but somehow it felt like we'd been friends for a while. For some reason his company gave me confidence... even all the way back when I raced him in Heaven. I chuckled to myself. _That was a while back, wasn't it?_

"Hana?" the purple-haired demon called and I woke up from my thoughts.

"W-what?" I squeaked.

"You started laughing all of a sudden," he lifelessly said, eyes glued to his screen. "I thought you might've been possessed or something."

"Oh, sorry... I got lost in thought," I said and focused my attention back to the game.

"I didn't know you had any of those," Ashiya half-mumbled over from the balcony door. He'd just finished hanging the laundry and walked in with an empty laundry basket.

"You'd be surprised," Hanzo said with his monotone. "You should see all the messages about anime and other stuff she spams on Zkybe. I always have to go offline when she doesn't shut up."

"H-hey, come on now! It's not only me spamming the chat... Gina-chan does it too!" I defended.

"It's different," he said.

"How come?" I asked and folded my arms again.

"Because her messages consist of more than "oh my gosh did you see how hot Gray looked in that last episode?!"" he said, making his pitch higher when quoting me. He folded his arms and glared at my embarrased form.

"That's not all I write, idiot!" I said, suddenly feeling the urge to throw something at him. _So this is why everyone hates him? _"I don't understand how that exact part caught your eye, anyway," I growled.

"He's jealous," Ashiya casually said from the kitchen counters he'd made his way to. I froze when I heard those words, but that was nothing when compared to Hanzo's reaction.

"WHAT?!" he yelled, his face suddenly flushed dark red. "Where the hell did you get THAT idea?!" he continued his yelling, arms moving through the air in clearly panicked motions. All Ashiya had to do was slowly turn to look at him with a smirk on his face. Hanzo turned to look away from the blond when he realized he'd lost his cool. I started giggling at the over-the-top reaction, even if I was slightly shocked. _I guess he hadn't expected Ashiya to attack him like this._

There was an uncomfortable silence for a while, so I decided to simply distract myself from it. I looked out the window. The sky was still blue and it didn't seem like the wind from last weekend was present at all. _Perfect flying weather_, I thought. Thoughts of Heaven came back to me again. Thoughts of my home, my friends, everything. The thoughts I'd been shaking off for a while now wanted to creep into my mind so badly. I didn't want to admit I missed everything I'd left behind, but I couldn't help it. I loved my new life in this world, but after I ran into Hanzo at the game store it felt like everything I'd built here was suddenly stolen from me.

From the moment I saw him standing there next to me, I hadn't simply been shocked it was him. I'd been shocked because I knew there was no going back. I couldn't possibly live the way I'd lived for the past two years. I knew that I had to get away, run as fast as I could and maybe start a third time somewhere else. I didn't want to believe this was what my life had turned into. But... no matter how much the situation frightened me, I couldn't stay away from him.

Something about the fallen angel pulled me towards him like fly-paper attracts flies. At some point I realized I was chasing after him, because I didn't believe he was real. It was like he was still a piece of my memories I couldn't quite grasp. The one person who told me I was strong so long ago. The one person who recognized my strenght just happened to be the most powerful being I knew at the time. The whole racing thing with him still felt like a distant dream. Everything was out of order. It was so hard for me to believe he was actually sitting at the other end of the small table.

It was so hard to believe the one person I'd always looked up to was so similar to myself. It was so hard to believe I would ever talk to him like he was my equal. I didn't want to realize the fact that he was real. I didn't want his words to be true – I didn't want myself to mean anything, I didn't want to be strong. I wanted to be able to disappear when I felt overwhelmed... I wanted to be able to run without my guilt.

But why did I need to run...?

He was right there – the one person I didn't want to run from. The one who gave me confidence and who I could easily laught with or at. The one who seemed to see right through me with his empty glares. Why did it matter how long I'd known him? Why should I be afraid? What would be the worst thing that could happen if I just opened my mouth now? My heart could break, but who cares about my heart, right? It's not anymore important than anyone else's. It was all meaningless. I shouldn't have anything to be afraid of... Besides, I had nothing to lose: It was obvious I wasn't completely meaningless to him.

"We're out of salt, so I'm gonna go ask Kamazuki-san if she has any," Ashiya said, his words barely registering to me. "Don't destroy anything while I'm gone, alright?" he said before leaving the apartment. The uncomfortable silence continued even after he was gone.

I was being such a teenager again. He was being such a teenager. This world, these human bodies, they seemed to be affecting us somehow. They must've been, since I couldn't come up with any other reasonable explanation. When exactly had I started letting my emotions take control over my mind? At what point did I start feeling like I used to feel again? I didn't know how long we'd been sitting there, the consept of time was getting hazy for me.

"Hana...?" I noticed Hanzo calling my name and my eyes instantly met his. He seemed to flinch at the sudden eye-contact and I turned to look at the table top.

_That's right, it's just my emotions talking, right? _I thought. _This is ridiculous. If I want something, I shouldn't be afraid of it. The last thoughts I had before leaving Heaven... I thought, "why is there nothing that I want anymore?" _I felt myself beginning to shudder. _I thought I should chase after something _I_ want. People are selfish... Sal, Phan, Flemm, Gina, Ayame, Etsuko, Nobuko, Chiho, Yusa, Kamazuki, Ashiya, Maou, Hanzo... everyone... it's my turn to be selfish too. _By that point my thoughts were nothing but an incomprehensible mess.

That's when I did something incredibly stupid.

I saw Hanzo flinch again when I made eye-contact with him. For a moment I just looked at him, unsure if I should do anything. He was staring back at me with a confused expression. _Well, here goes nothing... _I though, a small smile flashing by my lips. Without thinking it any farther, I climbed on top of the small table separating us and watched as the fallen angel flinched back from me. I was faster than him, however, and locked our lips before he could escape.

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**OMGOMGOMG! THEY KISSED?!**

**Anyways, I had a really hard time writing this chapter. I hope it doesn't turn out to be complete shit. Hana's nervous breakdown at the end was very difficult to make understandable and the beginning became reeeeaally clichéd with the group of teens. Luckily it was only a small part in a multi-chapter fanfic, right?**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Favorites, follows and reviews would be more than heavenly! :3 Love you all, see you in the next chapter! The next one will be up sometime next week.**


	18. Chapter 17 - Rgrts on living in the mmnt

**[A/N]**

**I'm a week late... I know. I'm sorry! I have no proper excuse... *bows down head in shame* Here it finally is, however - your new chapter!**

**There's something I wanna adress from waaaayy many chapters ago: the support money thing. There is just no way to explain it in the story (I thought about it probably more than I should've), so I'm lifting a weight off mine and maybe others' chests by simply explaining what I meant by that:**

**I have no idea how money stuff works in Japan. Like, nada. However, I know how some of the money stuff in Finland works. Concerning this particular issue, I'm gonna talk about support money received by students. In Finland, if you study in high school or a higher degree educational institution without any money from your parents (or you're an adult and you simply don't/can't have a job), you receive support money from the government. It's meant to buy food and books and all the necessary stuff for studying.**

**What made me think Japan worked even somewhat similarily with their money stuff (which I bet they don't, because I honestly don't know) was the fact that they have major issues with people having social anxiety. To some people even answering the door can be a challenge. So, if they all are not working from home, where do they get money? It was just a guess that maybe they have a system similar to Finland's. So, that's what I meant with them "living off of support money."**

**Anyway, that's all I had to say. If you read all this... hope you like this chapter!**

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><p><span>Chapter 17 – Rgrts on living in the mmnt<span>

There I was, on the table separating me and the purple-haired NEET, pressing my lips against his without even understanding what I was doing.

It was a short kiss, nothing special, and after I realized it even happened... My face became completely flushed when I noticed the shocked expression on his face. My heart was beating like crazy and my hands were shaking. Only a few seconds passed before I realized I hadn't moved. I backed away from the table, surprised I hadn't destroyed either of our computers. I packed my stuff in record time, not even looking towards the other angel.

"I'm sorry!" I yelled as I backed away to the door, grabbing my shoes as I excited the apartment. I saw he was about to say something, but didn't stay and listen. I turned around behind the door and almost ran into Ashiya and Kamazuki. "SORRY!" I yelled to the blond's face before running out of the hallway.

I tried running down the stairs of Villa Rosa only to slip on one of the steps. I fell down the stairs and before I could even properly realize what had happened, found myself from Maou's arms. I looked up at him with widened eyes. He looked somewhat annoyed. Then I noticed Chiho and Yusa standing beside him.

"Seriously, you should watch your step on those sta-"

"I'M SORRY!" I yelled and pushed myself out of the raven's grasp. I didn't look at them another time before running off. I didn't stop running until I reached our dorm room and hid under my cover. When Ayame asked what was wrong with me, I didn't answer.

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><p>I didn't know exactly how long I'd lied on my bed. I wasn't sure if I had slept, either. All I knew was that my body was covered in cold sweat, my sheets were all in my tight squeeze and a few sunshafts shone over my neck to the wall. My throat and eyes felt dry. Had I maybe cried last night? My vision was a little hazy, so I decided to not move.<p>

I lied there for a good while before I heard the door open and close. Footsteps made their over to the right side of the room, stopped and then came a little closer to me. I tightened my grip on the sheets and made myself a little smaller. I didn't want her to speak.

"You shouldn't be skipping school on our last week, Hana-chan," Ayame sighed from behind my back. I pretended not to hear her. "You should get up and take a shower... you're still wearing yesterday's clothes." I took a quick glance at myself and noticed I was indeed still fully clothed. "Get up now, it's four pm."

Ayame stood there for a while before sighing and making her way back to her side of the room. I heard a zipper open and then something being lied on her table with loud thumps. _Books_, I guessed, but didn't really care too much. The silence between us didn't last long, to my displeasure.

"Listen, Hana-chan. I don't know what exactly happened yesterday, but you're acting really weird and I don't like it." My heart skipped a beat when an image of yesterday's events flashed in my head. I took a deep breath and Ayame seemed to have noticed it. "Are you just gonna be a shut-in from now on? Just tell me what's bugging you and we'll get over this stupid problem." I didn't reply and Ayame sighed once again. "Enough. You're acting like a child, Hana-chan. Get a grip and talk to me." Still no reply. Ayame walked closer to my bed. "Did something happen with Urushihara-kun?"

At the mentioning of his name my heart started beating like crazy. My cheeks heated up and I felt myself starting to shudder. _What was I doing? I'm an idiot!_

"Hana-chan...?" Ayame asked somewhat startled. Was my panic really that noticable? "What did he do to you?" she coldly asked. "Did he hurt you?" I shook my head. "Then... what is it? You can tell me," the blonde assured and sat down next to me. I opened my mouth as if to say something, but closed it before words came out. "Hana-chan?" I buried my face into my pillow. "Fine then. I'll call him and ask," Ayame said.

"NO!" I yelled, raising my flushed face from the pillow. She looked at me with startled eyes and I turned mine towards the wall. _Fuck... _

"Then you have to tell me yourself," she insisted and folded her arms. I stayed quiet for a little longer before taking a deep breath and speaking.

"I kissed him..." I said as quietly as I could, my voice shaking.

"What? I can't hear you when you mumble like that," Ayame said and leaned in closer to me.

"I kissed him," I said slightly louder before pulling the cover over my face. I didn't know which expression Ayame wore, but I guessed it was a mix of shock and horror. I was sure she was going to yell at me, but I was surprisingly wrong.

"Oh?" she chuckled. "Well... I suppose that's it for not getting too attached..." she said and I gathered my courage to glance at her. There was a wistful smile on her face. "If that's all you're worrying about you really should get up." I wasn't sure if Ayame's calm reaction helped or made me feel worse. I pulled the cover back over my head.

"I'm scared," I squeaked.

"Why? Did he reject you or something?" Ayame asked. I shook my head even though she couldn't see it.

"I-I just..." I swallowed.

"Which are you scared of, him liking you or disliking you?" Ayame boldly asked.

"Neither!" I yelled, pulling the cover off my face again. I sat up to glare at her. "It's not that! I don't... It doesn't matter if he does or if he doesn't! It's just... I... I can't..." I held back my tears and placed my palms against my face. My breathing was getting irregular.

"Well, why can't you? I don't understand the problem here," the blonde said with a somewhat irritated tone. "I mean, sure, he's a demon and all that, but-"

"IT'S NOT THAT!" I yelled, pulling my hands off my face. Tears were falling down my cheeks and against the cover. "I'm just scared! I-I'm scared because I... This all, it's... it's too much. I can't handle it. What I did was stupid! STUPID! I don't understand WHY I did it! I WANT TO ERASE IT!" Ayame blinked before speaking.

"Why the hell are you panicking like crazy? Calm down. You just kissed him, it's not something you can't overcome," she said, irritated out of her mind. _I... I don't... I can't... I can't handle... I... I..._

"No... I... I don't..." I struggled to restore my composure. "I..." I failed at my attempt, my breathing getting messier again. I don't know at what point I'd raised both of my hands to my chest.

"Alright," Ayame said, dropping her hands in a motion meaning she'd given up. "Whatever. Just... go take a shower and you'll feel better, hmm?" she suggested. "You can't just lie in bed for the rest of your life." _Oh, how I wish I could. _Ayame got up from the bed and walked over to her books. "I'm right here if you need anything... and all that." I just sat there, both hands shaking like crazy. I waited for it to stop before I dared to try standing. I took a deep breath. Maybe a hot shower was the best option for now.

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><p>I turned off the shower and breathed in the hot steam in the room. My body felt much more relaxed. I found my familiar dolphin towel, dried myself and wrapped it around my body, wrinkling the image of the sea mammal. I grabbed my clothes and left the shower room with a blank expression.<p>

I walked down the hall back towards our room, eyes glued to the floor. It felt a little cold against my bare feet, but I didn't have to try hard to ignore the feeling. Stuff was running through my mind way too rapidly to properly realize physical discomfort.

"Hey, Hana-san!" a joyful voice chirped and before I realized I'd been stopped by Nobuko. I moved my lifeless eyes from the floor to her and she shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Err... you weren't at school today, right? Are you sick?" the brunette asked and adjusted her glasses.

"Sick...? I guess you could say so..." I forced her a small smile and it was painfully obvious I had.

"Is everything alright? If you don't mind me asking..." she spoke a little more cautiously and tilted her head to the side like a puppy.

"Yeah... I'll be back to school tomorrow and all that. You don't have to worry about it," I said with a wide smile. "I just had a little headache this morning, so I decided it was probably better to sleep."

"Headache, huh?" the brunette giggled. "Your excuses have been getting more boring lately, Hana-san," Nobuko said, refering to my multiple truancies and the ridiculous stories I came up to cover them with. "I remember the days you used to come up with something like "Ayame-chan ate my potato salad so it was only my right to challenge her into a duel to the death,"" Nobuko stated, making an impeccable impression of an emotionless me making that statement. "My favorite one was "a demon came and burned all my underwear so I had to go and shop for new ones,"" she explained, still continuing her impression. A slight chuckle escaped my lips and I covered my mouth with my free hand. Nobuko gave a warm smile.

"I suppose we all grow up at some point," I said, the smile slowly fading from my lips. I hadn't meant what I said at all, but at least it was something.

"Just remember not to grow up too boring," Nobuko said with a wide smile. "Well, I have to go to Etsuko-chan's now, but I'll see you around, okay?" I nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, see you around." She waved at me before entering the staircase. I looked towards the direction she'd went, a smile still present on my lips. After standing there for another short moment I turned around and headed back to our dorm room. _Thanks, Nobuko-san – for making me laugh._

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><p>I made it back to the dorm room and threw my dirty clothes in a pile on my chair. I stood there and stared at the empty studying desk for a moment. <em>Where is my computer? <em>I looked around in the room to find my computer bag. _Oh, that's right... _I sighed and made my way to the bag.

"Feeling better?" Ayame asked from her desk. I didn't respond and grabbed the computer bag. After moving it, however, I realized there was another bag behind it. I put the computer bag back down and reached for the black one. "I'll take that as a yes, then... Ready to talk about it?" I took a quick glance at the blonde before looking inside my black bag and taking out my phone. I opened it up and looked at the lit up screen.

**1 received call(s): Hanzo Urushihara**

I stared at the name, the shaking of my hands slowly returning. I flipped the phone shut before it went too far and turned to look at Ayame.

"There's nothing to talk about," I finally answered.

"You sure?" Ayame asked with clear disbelief. I looked away from her. "You wanna hear what I think?" _Not really, no. _"I don't actually care whether you do or not, I'm gonna say it anyway." My hands made their way to the top edge of the towel around me, my phone still in one of them. I turned to face the other angel as she stood up. "I think this has happened before."

"What do you mean by that?" I lifelessly asked.

"I mean that you shutting yourself in isn't anything new. You've done it before – remember?" I blinked. "Back when we were still soldiers in the army, when the war began, you began disappearing from training. Right?" I looked away from the other girl again. "Remember that one time I came over your place to assure you to return?" I looked at her from the corner of my eye.

"I do."

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><p><em><strong>Then<strong>_

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><p>There were loud knocks on the door of my small house. The sound echoed through the few rooms, all the way to my bedroom. I didn't want to answer the door, so I just pretended to still be asleep. The knocking didn't stop though, it only got louder.<p>

"DRENUMI! I know you're in there!" came a firm yell from the door. I flinched at the sound and got up into a sitting position. "LET ME IN OR I'LL CRASH THIS DOOR." I rubbed my eyes and got up from the bed.

"I'll be right there!" I yelled and looked down to my light green night gown. "Just... let me get dressed first!"

"YOU'D BETTER HURRY UP."

_**You were always such a hothead, huh?**_

_**Shut up.**_

I changed into a white, loose dress with a wide silver neckline and a silver ribbon working as a belt. I also put on silver slippers and tied my signeture black ribbon in my hair. Heaven's fashion always made me feel a little impersonal. Maybe it was the color palette?

"SERIOSLY, ARE YOU DONE?" came another yell from the door. I sighed and left my bedroom, walked through the hallway to the door and opened the lock. Before I could even grab the handle the door was already swept over, making me flinch back from it.

"Woah!" I yelled as I backed away and against a wall.

"Took you long enough..." a grumpy woman wearing a soldier's outfit with a white and silver jacket said. Group leaders' jackets usually had silver details, generals and archangels had gold and archangels wore golden laurels to top off the uniform. The jacket had padding on the shoulders and made the woman wearing it look more official than she actually was. Her blond and red hair was tied back on a short ponytail and her silvery eyes wore a deadly glare.

"Audiana herself at_ my_ house... what an honor," I said with heavy sarcasm.

"Cut it, I'm NOT in the mood right now," the blonde growled and slammed shut the door behind her. "I'm here for one reason and one reason only – to get you back." I sighed.

"Guessed as much," I said and slipped away from her and towards the kitchen. "Do you maybe want a drink? I definitely need one right now..." I said, the last part coming out more as a mumble.

"I told you I'm not in the mood for your attitude today," my group leader said and followed me into the kitchen. I looked through my cabinets for the wine. _Where did I put it again? _"I'm only interested in getting my best flier back."

"Best? Are you sure about that?" I smirked and made a happy face when I found the wine. I took it from a higher shelf and offered the bottle to the other angel. "Sure you don't want any?" She hesitated for a moment before grabbing the bottle and taking a quick taste of the wine. I smiled when she returned it, taking a drink myself.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe in your potential," Audiana said and sat on one of the dark, wooden stairs around my dinner table. I took another drink of the wine. "Why did you stop coming to training?" the blonde glanced at me with curiosity. I shrugged.

"It's natural not wanting to die in a war between humans and demons. It has nothing to do with me," I said.

"How can you be so selfish?" Audiana asked. I didn't give her an answer, I didn't think she would've understood either way. "Your comrades are all going to war and you're just cowering here, in your stupid little house in the middle of nowhere. Is that your plan?"

"So what if it is? It's not like you can do anything about it," I hissed, placing the wine bottle on the table. Audiana sighed before continuing.

"And I had high expectations for you, too..." she said, moving her gaze towards the stone flooring. "Your magic power holds so much room for developement." I blinked.

"Huh? What the hell do you mean? My magic power is pretty average for a soldier of my rank. You should go talk to someone like Sal if you want a powerful magic-user."

"I suppose it's impossible to carve the word "developement" into your brain. Sal is already reaching the limit of her powers – yours are only starting to show," Audiana said, raising one of her brows. "Your improved flying abilities are only the beginning. Who knows how much power your body actually holds?" I blinked in confusion. "I suppose only the people around you can tell. If you continued your training now... you could one day be a very powerful angel. Dare I even say you have the potential to becoming and archangel." I blinked again.

"W-woah, don't go that far... I don't... care about becoming an archangel or any of that," I resisted. "Besides, it's not like it could actually happen. Your expectations of me are just way too high."

"Could be..." she said, "but then again, might not be. We'll never know if you stop here." I stayed quiet and took a look at the wine bottle. I saw the reflection of my kitchen window on it's side and turned to look outside. Dark clouds everywhere... it was about to rain. The weather had been stormy for weeks. "Please, come back to training. Your team needs you." I turned to face the blond with a blank expression, a sigh escaping my lips.

_**Do you remember what you said?**_

_**I do.**_

"I don't care."

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><p><em><strong>Now<strong>_

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><p>We stood there in silence, my hands folded and eyes away from Ayame. I saw her looking at me from the corner of my eye, but didn't give her the pleasure of receiving eye-contact.<p>

"Are you going to become like that again? Are you going to stop caring completely?" I didn't move from my position. "If you're going to run away this time... I'm not coming with you." I flinched at the statement, but still didn't reply. I didn't want to admit I'd already made detailed plans of me grabbing all my things when Ayame was at school and taking the first bus out of town, only lacking the courage to actually carry out my plan. "I'd also rather you not run away. Not only because we have duties here, but because... because I think of you as a friend." The pressure in my chest seemed to be tightening. Somehow that simple statement managed to hurt me and warm my heart equal ammounts. I knew it was hard thinking of me as a friend, the way I was. The way I'd always be... _But... it isn't my problem, right? It's hers. _I tried to block out the uncomfortable feeling, failing miserably.

I didn't even look at Ayame, only walked over to my bed, lied down and hid under the cover. The soft fabric felt nice against my skin.

"I still think you have potential. Not just in magic. You're smart and pretty, only your attitude against the world distracts from that. You have the potential to be both an amazing angel and an amazing human," Amaya said. "Sorry... I got a little carried away." I still stayed silent. Compliments didn't really have an effect on me, well, sometimes they made me feel a little uncomfortable. I didn't like that much attention paid to me.

"Uh... sorry," I quietly said. "About... you know, everything."

"Don't say it if you don't mean it," Ayame said with a soft chuckle. "I can tell you don't."

"Sorry..." I said again, this time meaning it a little more. "Can I ask you something?" I suddenly said, getting up into a sitting position, the cover pressed against my chest. It was a wise decision, since I felt the towel slowly sliding down my back.

"What is it?" Ayame asked with raised eyebrows.

"Are you... regretting it?" Ayame blinked. "Do you want to go back?" I didn't turn my head to look at her, but I knew her smile was swept away into nothingness. She didn't say a word, only walked over to her table and sat down to study. Silence fell. _I knew she wouldn't say... After all, I'm the same as her._

I lied back on the bed and began staring at the sealing. The problems I currently had were putting a weight on my heart, each one more than the other. I tried listing them all so I could maybe think of solving them. Studying. Regrets. Kiss. Unfamiliarity. Gina. The studying could be done later, there was still time for the finals (if I decided to stay instead of running). The regrets were a long-time problem, there was no way of solving it in one single swoop. The kiss I didn't want to think about. The unfamiliarity of my current situation could be solved by making the unknown known or closing it away... I hadn't yet decided which I would do.

Then there was Gina. I sighed. That would be my first problem to solve, I supposed. It wasn't an easy one, though – it was Gina we were talking about, after all. I had no clue how I would convince her to give up on Maou, or if I even could. I was stuck solving a love triangle I wasn't even a part of. _How annoying_, I thought as I turned to face the wall. It wasn't until then that I realized I was still holding my flip phone. I looked at it, opened up it's lid and looked at the text again.

**1 received call(s): Hanzo Urushihara**

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><p><strong>[AN]**

**So, I was talking with one of my friends today. She writes fanfiction and has been doing so for a lot longer than I, and she gave me critique on my story. She told me that it can get a little boring at points, and I completely agree. On my defence, I do think it's sort of hard to make the life of an introvert interesting. No? Just me? Oh... well. I'm doing my best at spicing up my writing, taking more risks and such (I'm still a little unsure with my writing since I haven't published anything before and I'm scared of accidentally falling into a bunch of clichés or writing things too unlikely to happen.)**

**Anyway, my author's notes are getting too lenghty. I really should try and learn to compress my text better. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter (sorry about the flashback)! Remember to follow, favorite and review (pretty please?) Thanks for reading~!**


	19. Chapter 18 - To class and dust

**[A/N]**

**New chapter! Are you happy? I am. I had a good time writing this one. ^^ Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><span>Chapter 18 – To class and dust<span>

I walked down the street in brown shorts and a black top. My white and green hair was open and over my shoulders, the little black bow tied to them as usual. I corrected the position of the black bag on my shoulder, since it was getting pretty heavy after walking for a while.

I sighed heavily when I finally saw the light yellow house in my field of vision. It was in a nice neighbourhood, surrounded by other big and otherwise expensive-looking places. I didn't really care where I lived as long as I had internet connection, but Ayame always seemed to be drooling over these kinds of houses.

I made my way through the black metal gate blocking my way to the house's well-kept garden. I walked through the stone path to the door and after a moment of hesitating, pressed the doorbell. I shifted my weight from one leg to another, trying to calm my nervous thoughts about what would happen next.

I didn't have to wait for long before I heard footsteps nearing the door and I stepped aside as it opened.

"Hello, I'm here for Gina," I greeted the woman with a slender build and shoulder-lenght, black hair.

"Oh, Wakahisa-san! Come on in," the woman said and moved out of my way to let me in. She looked very much like her daughter, if you didn't include the difference in hair colour. Her eyes were the beautiful light green and blue that Gina's were, she was tall and naturally thin and her smile was identical as well.

"Thanks," I said with a small smile. I stepped inside the spacy, lightly coloured house and immediately took off my sneakers. I put them aside with the other shoes and took a step closer to the staircase.

"Gina, you have a visitor!" the woman yelled upstairs after closing the door. Then she turned back to me with a wide smile. "So how've you been, Wakahisa-san?"

"Ah, just fine..." I awkwardly said and rubbed the back of my head. I hated talking to Gina's parents, as nice as they were. It was still too much social interaction.

"Your and Gina's finals are coming. Hope you've studied hard for them," the woman said, obviously having asked the previous question just to get to this topic. "Our Gina's been slacking off a bit lately, even after I told her we'd be cutting down her allowance if she didn't pass. Just between us, I think she might be crushing on a boy... Oh, did your parents ever do that when you still lived with them? They live outside of Tokyo, right?" _Gina-chan, save me! _

"Uh, hmm, yeah, they do..." I stumbled with my words, trying to come up with a proper response. I was so glad when I heard running footsteps from upstairs and soon saw Gina coming down the stairs with a smile.

"Hey, Hana-chan! What's up?" she asked as cheery as ever. Her blue hair was tied on a ponytail on the left side of hear head and she wore a blue shirt and white skinny jeans that contrasted well with her skin.

"Have you cleaned your room, Gina?" her mother asked and crossed her arms, her light blue shirt waving into motion. "You wouldn't want Wakahisa-san to walk into that mess, right?"

"Trust me, mom, her room is way worse," Gina said, obviously holding back a laugh.

"Hey! It's clean at the moment...! Clean...er... at the moment," I said with a small huff.

"Still, you can't avoid your chores forever. You know I have a green belt on karate," the woman said with a challenging smile.

"Oh, is that a threat I hear?" Gina smirked and squeezed her hands into fists. "Because I'm willing to listen!" she yelled, sounding like a clichéd manga hero. "Bring it, mom!"

"No, wait! Not me in the-" I couldn't finish the sentence before a kick was thrown towards me and I barely dodged it by throwing myself on the floor, catching my body with my hands. The move demanded some muscle-strenght I really didn't have at the moment, but I managed to pull it off without embarrassing myself too much.

"Sorry, Hana-chan! I wasn't aiming for you," Gina pleaded and offered me a hand to pull me up. I glared at her and pushed myself up without her help.

"Ever since you started taking karate lessons this house has been a dangerous warzone," I sighed. "Cut it out already."

"I'm sorry," Gina's mom chuckled, "I didn't mean for our training session to start yet."

"Ah, eh, sorry, Matsuoka-san," I pleaded, not having noticed I was being disrespectful.

"No, it's fine. You kids go upstairs, I have to go pay the bills anyway," Gina's mom said and left the room with a smile. The word "kids" really annoyed me for some reason.

"I'll beat you next time!" Gina yelled after her.

"Sure you will, honey," came the response from a nearby room. Gina giggled to herself before turning back to me again.

"Come upstairs, Hana-chan," she said and started making her way up the stairs again. I nodded and followed her. "Since when have you had such great reflexes?" she asked while we walked towards her room.

"Uh... since forever, I suppose," I said when we reached her door. She went through first and I closed the door behind us.

"Really? I haven't noticed," she said and threw herself on her wide single bed. The bed wasn't the only thing that was large in the room. It was overall very spacious and the light-coloured walls made it look even more so. There were two windows on two separate walls – since it was a corner room – and orange drapes covering them. "She seems nice, but she can get really annoying after a while."

"I know," I replied. "I've been here before, you know." The drapes weren't the only colorful thing in the room. All the textures; bed covers, carpet and chair coverings were all very brightly colored, like Gina's personality. The furniture were all made of either black metal or light brown wood with black metal detailing.

The room was very clean when compared to mine and Ayame's room at it's messiest, but it was still noticable that the room wasn't in completely neat condition. There were school books all over the place, a few small piles of clothes in the corners and even some trash on different surfaces. There was also an anime poster that was half-fallen off the wall.

"You haven't visited in a few weeks. I was beginning to miss you," Gina complained, rising into a sitting position. I gave her a smile and placed my bag down next to her bed.

"Yeah, sorry. I've been busy being an introvert," I exclaimed and sat next to her on the bed. "Besides, we've been talking online and at school."

"It's not the same thing!" she exclaimed. "I wouldn't say you're a total introvert... I mean, you do have Ayame-chan," Gina said and poked me on the shoulder.

"It's a dormitory. I really don't have a choice," I said and shrugged my shoulders. It had been a little hard getting used to living with another person at first, but after some time and limits set I got used to it. "Is your dad out on a job again?" I asked, having noticed Gina's father wasn't there. He was a pilot, so he left out on jobs for long periods of time.

"Yeah, he is," Gina hummed and laid sideways on the bed. I turned to face her. "So, what did you wanna talk about?" she asked with a more serious tone and expression.

"You knew why I came here, didn't you?" I sighed and pulled my feet on the bed, taking a more comfortable position. She nodded.

"I bet Chiho-chan came to speak with you, right?" she said with a light chuckle. It was my turn to nod.

"She did... you realize you're both putting me into a very uncomfortable position, yeah?" I coldly said. "I really don't know if I should be a part of this all."

"Bullshit! I'm not putting you into this position – I don't want you to take part in this either. It's Chiho-chan who asked you to do this, not me," Gina argued. I had to admit she had a point, but there was no point in backing off anymore.

"It doesn't matter right now," I said, trying to take the conversation into a direction I was pleased with. "What matters is that you're chasing after a guy your friend is chasing after as well. That's breaking the girl-code." Oh, the girl-code – how much fun I had making fun of it with Ayame in the past, but here I now was, using it to my defence. _I just love irony._

"Seriously?" Gina huffed, obviously disappointed in my performance. "Are you taking her side in this? You barely even know her," she said. Her performance didn't really move me either. We both sounded like bickering teenage girls. _Oh, wait..._

"Are you that jealous of her?" I asked with my monotone voice and narrowed my eyes at her.

"I'm not jealous of her and you know that. You just sound like our friendship is completely meaningless to you when compared to yours and hers," Gina said and crossed her arms, looking away from me.

"That's called being jealous, Gina-chan," I sighed. "I just think it would be fair for you to let her go after Maou-san... she's in love with him, after all."

"Since when do you care about fair? No, scratch that – _define_ fair, since that's what you would make _me_ do in a situation like this," she said with a hostile tone. "How does she have more right to go after Maou-san than me? Because I met him later? That doesn't seem too fair to me."

"No, I guess not..." I said, keeping a pause. _Why am I doing this again? _"Still, Gina-chan, I think you're going a little too far with this. You went over to _her house_ and told her you want to be _friends_ with her. At least be honest about your rivalry!"

"That might not have been the smartest thing for me to do, but I do like her as a person," Gina said and got up into a sitting position, looking me in the eyes. The eye-contact made me feel slightly uncomfortable, even if it was with Gina. "I... I really do have a crush on Maou-san. Do you know how long it's been since I had a crush on anyone?" I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. "Two years. It's been two years since I had a crush on any real human being." I looked away in discomfort when she referred to Maou as a "human being." "I want to go after him."

"So you're ready to break Chiho-chan's heart if you manage to make Maou-san yours?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I believed she could do it, but there were various reasons to convince her to stop. First, of course, was the fact that Maou was a demon lord. Even if she succeeded making Maou hers I really wouldn't call it a victory – but then again, I was going after Hanzo as well... I flinched when my thoughts went to the fallen angel.

"Hana-chan, are you alright?" Gina asked, obviously having noticed my distraction. She was quick to notice how I was feeling and I really didn't enjoy it. It always gave away my cover. "Has something happened that I should know about?" I shook my head.

"No, it's fine – back to Chiho-chan. So, you're not gonna stop?" I quickly changed back the topic so I could brush off the thoughts of Hanzo.

"No," Gina simply said and gave me a sad smile. "Not in a million years."

"_Nothing_ can change your mind? Are you sure?" I asked and grabbed her hands in my own. I knew I only promised Chiho to try, but for some reason I felt heavy in my heart. _Damn feelings... this isn't like me at all. _I tried my best to reason the situation.

"I'm sure," she said and pulled her hands away. Her smile turned into a blank expression. "We should probably not talk for a few days. I need time to cool off." I gave her a silent nod.

"I'll be going then," I said. I stood up and grabbed my bag from the floor before I left the room.

* * *

><p>After hasty goodbyes with Gina's mother I found myself walking back towards Sasahaki North. My thoughts were all mixed up and my heart was pounding. I couldn't quite grasp on what was wrong with me. My chest felt hot and it was like there was a lump in my throat. I arranged my thoughts one by one and took out my phone to distract myself.<p>

Only it didn't work. The minute I opened the lid of my phone I saw the familiar text popping up on my screen.

**1 received call(s): Hanzo Urushihara**

My thoughts scattered all over the place again. My hands were shaking. I flipped the phone shut and squeezed it in my hand while walking. _What is wrong with me? _I thought, my pace slowing down without me realizing. _What is this pain in my chest? _My steps slowed down until I came to a stop. I guessed I'd taken the wrong turn somewhere, since the neighbourhood looked a little odd to me.

Then I heard an engine sound heading towards me. It became louder and louder until it suddenly slowed down and stopped next to me. I reluctantly turned to look towards it.

It was a dark blue car. It was cheap and smallish, but seemed well-kept. It was clean and it looked like the wheel rims had been recently changed. The back windows were darkened to a level of creepy. I looked over to the driver's spot only to take a sudden step back. The person behind the wheel opened the window on my side and gave a wide smile.

"Well, what a nice day it is, hmm?" Sariel spoke with a syrupy tone. "What's a lonely lady like you doing out at this time?"

"It's five o'clock," I said, already tired of his attitude and slipped my phone into my bag.

"You look lost. Why don't you get in the car and I'll drive you home~" he suggested.

"No, thank you," I said, making a denied-motion with my arms. His way of offering help was way creepy. I couldn't trust him even if he was an archangel. He pursed his lips in annoyment.

"I don't think you understood what I meant," he said with a smile. "Get. In the car. And that was an order," he said with narrowed eyes. I flinched at his words – he had figured out I was an angel. I took a look at the tarmac under my feet and gritted my teeth together before entering the car.

"Well, now then~" he said, his smile returning. "Where is it I need to drive you?" I wasn't sure if I should give him my address, but decided to trust him. _Stupid decision_, I thought when making it.

"You know where Sasahaki North is?" I asked with a sigh.

"I do," he simply replied before turning the car around and heading for the school. There was an awkward silence for a while before he spoke again. "So, I take it you survived by making yourself a student? Hmmn~" he said. "Your face is somehow familiar to me. Have we met before?"

"We met over at SFC. I was with the one who dove under the table," I replied.

"Oh, yes... That was Audiana, wasn't she?" Sariel chuckled and that made me turn my head towards him in a quick motion. "Quite an amusing performance, if I may say so. I didn't say anything, since I didn't want to start a scene." My mouth was agape for a moment.

"You knew about her? Uh..." the words escaped through my lips. "Did you only now find out that I was an angel, too?"

"I did, even though I had my suspicions before. You really should learn to hide your magic better. I could sense it from a kilometer away," Sariel smirked in an annoying manner.

"Err..." I was speechless, so the car became silent. I listened to the engine humm for a short while. "What are you gonna do with me now?"

"With you? Oh, I'm not interested in you, even if your beauty is almost worthy of my attention," he said in that syrupy tone again. I backed away from him with a disgusted expression. "And what I mean is I'm not interested in you personally, I'm interested in how you and Audiana ended up in Tokyo. You're both war deserters, eh?" I flinched. "Not that I care about that anymore."

"I, uh... we used a portal. Obviously..." I struggled to get my answer together.

"So you two were able to create a portal like that? Haha! I wouldn't be surprised if two angels of Audiana's level would've done it together, but I've never even _seen_ you before we came here. Ah, that raises another question: Who exactly are you?"

"I was a flier in Ayam- Audiana's group. I hadn't been in the army for too long before we left," I spoke. I didn't think I'd be in this situation again, so it all confused me.

"Is that so? You have much more magic power than just any flier would have," he said, mostly mumbling the last sentence. "We're here," he said as he stopped the car. I looked through the window to see my school building. I would've left the car if Sariel suddenly hadn't turned off the engine.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm still curious about some things... like where you got your magic," Sariel said. "You definitely didn't have your powers when you were at Sentucky Fried Chicken. So somewhere between now and then you gained celestial magic. Since I wasn't your contact and the only other celestial magic users I know are living in Tokyo are Emilia the Hero and Crestia Bell... you must have met them," he deducted with a sly smile. "That means you've most likely also met Satan and the two generals he has under his wing." My hands squeezed into fists as I feared what me might say next.

"Is this the part where you tell me to spy on them?" I asked with an odd anger welling inside me. I watched as the archangel next to me burst into sudden laughter.

"Ahahahahah! No, by all means, no!" Sariel said. "I don't care about what they're doing! All I care about is my lovely Kisaki-san! She is all I need and ever will need in this world or any other. I have no will to go after Satan anymore. Hahaha! What a ridiculous thought!" I blinked several times in confusion, trying to think of something to say.

"Eh... then why...?"

"It's only natural for me to keep an eye on possible threaths, right? I'm not an idiot. Sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry. If the Devil's army grows too strong I have to pay mind to it – I am an archangel after all. It might be dangerous for me and my love towards Kisaki-san," Sariel chuckled.

"Is it smart for you to blab everything to me?" I questioned and wrinkled my eyebrows.

"Oh, it's fine. After all, I can just tell you to..." he paused for dramatic effect, "...shut the hell up." He glared at me with a dangerous expression and I found myself holding my breath. "Besides, it's not like Satan really cares about me at this point, anyway~" he chirped, reverting back to his wide, creepy smile.

"Is that so?" I simply replied, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

"Hmm, I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?" he asked, not waiting for me to reply. "Ah, anyway – that was all I wanted to talk about. Now you should get out so I can go find my darling Kisaki. She should be at the grocery store around this time..." _He's a stalker?! _I did as he said and stepped out of the car. Just before I closed the door, he stopped it and faced me one more time. "Maybe I'll see you again, dear." After that he pulled the door closed and drove off.

I just stood there for a moment, trying to process what had happened. Sariel, one of the archangels, had just found out about my existence. Why did I suddenly feel like the whole world was staring at me? I headed over to the dormitory immediately when I noticed a person passing by looking at me funny.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]**

**I had fun writing Sariel. XD Hope you had fun reading! **

**I'm gonna stop telling you when the next chapter will be up since I obviously can't keep my promises anymore. ;_; But no worries, I'll update as often as I always have! Anyway, please follow, favorite and *sparkles* review *sparkles*! I'd really like to know what you guys think.**


	20. Chapter 19 - Distractions are temporary

**[A/N]**

**Here is the next chapter. This a sort of a transition chapter with moments from the course of about two weeks thrown together. It can get a little boring, so you can kind of skim over this chapter without a bad conscience. ^^'**

**xblackrosefirex: Thanks so much for your review! It's so cool to hear people like this. *u* And no, she can't avoid him forever... :)**

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><p><span>Chapter 19 – Distractions are temporary<span>

I lied on my stomach and stared at the pile of books I'd constructed in front of me. I leaned my head against my palms and sighed, taking a quick glance at Ayame on the other side of the room. She was focused on going through her own notes and school books. _But I don't wannaa..._

"Hana-chan, if you're actually going to study, just do it," Ayame said with a lenient attitude and turned to face me from her desk. _Shut up... I don't wanna. _I huffed in annoyment. Why did the task of picking up a book suddenly feel unattainable? I looked at the pile with a frown. "Fine then, do whatever you want. Luckily I'm not the one receiving your grades," Ayame sighed and turned back to her books.

I continued staring at my books for a moment before I finally reached towards them with an unsatisfied growl.

* * *

><p>For once I was actually studying. School had ended last Friday and there was only a week of studying time left before the finals. I decided that if I wanted to pass, I needed to at least skim through the books and the few notes I'd made.<p>

The whole following week went by without me even noticing. The one thing I did notice, though, was that studying offered me something to drown my thoughts into. It was a great distraction from everything that'd been happening around me for the past weeks. On that level I actually found it enjoyable. I knew that after a while all those things wouldn't feel so terrible anymore.

After the school had ended I'd even found the courage to look at my phone without shivering and clicking away the text that was haunting me. I'd never thought that _school_ would be the one thing to save me from my misery. I found myself not only studying by myself but also with Ayame, Nobuko and Etsuko. I still wasn't on proper speaking terms with Gina, so I avoided studying together when she was there and I supposed she did the same for me. I decided that I'd talk to her after the finals.

The week was nearing it's end and I had improved in every subject remarkably. I was currently sitting at my computer desk, only my computer was pushed away into a corner of the table and philosophy books had taken it's place. I was going through pages of one of them when Ayame suddenly spoke:

"Hana-chan, can we take a pause?" she asked from her desk and I turned to look at her.

"Uh, sure. Let's," I said and closed the book I was reading. "What is it?" I deducted she had something to discuss about since she was wearing her serious expression.

"We need to move out before the exams start," she said and made her way to my side of the room.

"That's right... any luck on the job department?" I asked after suddenly remembering our divided jobs.

"I have a couple of places that are currently hiring. We need to go through those as soon as possible," she said and sat down on my bed. "What about the apartment situation? I trust you took care of your assingment."

"About that..." I chuckled and awkwardly scratched my head.

"WHAT?! YOU FORGOT?!" Ayame screamed in horror.

"No! I was just kidding!" I exclaimed with my hands as a shield. "I remembered!" Ayame gave a relieved sigh.

"You just scared the heck outta me," she said.

"Sorry," I said and grabbed my laptop from the table. I took off the power cord and walked over to my bed with the computer, sitting next to Ayame. I opened the lid and found certain pages from my bookmarks.

"Wow, you're actually taking this seriously... I'm proud of you, Hana-chan," Ayame said and patted my head like I was a dog.

"Ugh, yeah, whatever..." I said and handed the computer to Ayame, who looked through the apartments I'd chosen. "Those are the places in Tokyo we can currently afford to live in." Ayame seemed to be deep in thought.

"There aren't many places here... most of them are pretty far away, too," she said with a sigh. She stopped for a moment when she noticed I even had Villa Rosa in one of the tabs. "Looks like Villa Rosa is the only one nearby... there is that one apartment close to Sasahaki North, but by the looks of it needs some renovations that are way out of our reach."

"Yeah, I thought the same thing," I said.

"You sure you didn't overlook any places nearby because you wanna live next to you-know-who?" Ayame joked with a devious expression.

"No... if anything, I looked for places that are especially far away just for that reason..." I said and looked away from the blonde. It was partially true that I didn't want to have anything to do with the demons' right now, but then again...

"This is a tough decision... Should we really move far away or across the hall from Satan and his generals? I mean, we did promise to help Yusa-san with keeping an eye on them," Ayame sighed and leaned slightly back, taking a look at the sealing.

"She did restore our magic... I'm thankful for that," I said and looked at my hands from instinct.

"I know you are," Ayame said, looking at me with a smile. "Well, I guess it's decided then."

"EEEEHH?! Just like that?!" I exclaimed.

"Uh..." Ayame looked at me with a questioning look. "It was your suggestion, wasn't it? The rent is cheap, it's location is surprisingly good considering, you know, and we would be in a perfect position to help the Hero. What's there to complain about?" When she presented it like that, Ayame had a point.

"Hmm..." I thought about it for a moment. "Should we arrange to check out the apartment, then?" I asked with a smile. Ayame returned my smile and found her phone to call the number in the notice of sale. I couldn't help but let a little sigh escape once Ayame pressed the "call"-button. _That's it for avoiding _him_, huh?_

* * *

><p>We'd walked over to Villa Rosa Sasazuka and I'd been panicking the whole time. Even when we finally got to the old building I was hiding behind Ayame just in case I'd run into the person I really didn't want to talk to at the moment. She was getting fed up with my behaviour – it showed clearly – but didn't say anything about it.<p>

"Here we are," she stated before heading up the stairs. I followed her and looked around myself somewhat paranoid. We went into the hallway and Ayame stopped to the first door at the right. _Wait... here? _I looked at the apartment number. 204. I'd heard the number before, but suddenly it didn't seem right – the apartments 201 and 202 were taken, so logically the room 203 would be next, right? I looked at Ayame with a confused expression.

"Why number 204?"

"Only now you notice? Seriously?" Ayame sighed and took the key assigned to her to open the door. "The landlady told me that there's some problems with the heating of 203 right now, so if we wanted to move immediately, we'd have to take 204. It seemed a little odd to me too..." she said.

"Yeah..." I said while looking at the door across from Kamazuki's apartment.

"Well, let's-" Ayame was interrupted by a door opening from behind us. Ashiya entered the hallway without completely closing the door behind him. I didn't fully realize he was there until he turned to look at us, making me cower behind Ayame.

"Honda-san... Wakahisa-san, you haven't been visiting in some time," Ashiya said. "I have to say I'm was surprised to know you were here." My cheeks became flushed when I realized Hanzo would now know I was behind his door.

"Huh? How did you even know we were here...?" Ayame asked.

"Urushihara noticed you through the web camera..." Ashiya said. "But... wait. You're going to... 204?" he seemed taken aback when he realized Ayame was holding the door handle of the apartment across the hall from theirs.

"Yeah, we're not here to visit you," Ayame declared with a wide smile. "I wasn't going to say anything yet, but you're going to get two new neighbours," she continued. Ashiya froze.

"...excuse me for a second," Ashiya said and retreated back into his apartment. The was unclear gabbling behind the door and we saw some movement through the window of 201. We stood there in complete silence until Ashiya stepped out again, this time with Maou.

"I heard you're moving across the hall from us. I guess we should welcome you into the building," Maou said with his MgRonald's smile. Ashiya seemed very displeased.

"So where's your luggage? You're not moving without it, I assume..." he forced himself to speak.

"We're only checking out the apartment at the moment. Our stuff will be brought after we've confirmed everything's good with this place," Ayame said and shrugged her shoulders.

"Makes sense," Maou said. "Do you want to stop for tea after you've looked through the place?" I flinched behind Ayame.

"No, we have to arrange the moving as soon as possible. But thanks for the invitation," Ayame replied with a smile.

"Well, there's still time after you've moved in, hmm?" Maou chuckled. "We don't want to keep you here, so we'll just see you another time," he continued and opened the door behind him. Even though it was only breafly, I saw Hanzo sitting inside in front of his computer. Only, he wasn't looking at his computer. He was looking at me.

The both of us flinched, blushed and looked away from each other immediately after locking eyes. Maou seemed to be first looking at Hanzo and then at me, a smile popping up on his face again. He waved before entering the apartment. Ashiya gave us a look before leaving the hallway and making his way outside.

"That was..." Ayame said a little flustered.

"I'm just glad it's over now..." I said with a sigh and looked at the door. "Let's go inside, shall we?" Ayame nodded and opened the door all the way. We entered the apartment and closed the door behind us.

The apartment was the size of six tatami-mats, like the demons'. The kitchen was the mirror image from their place, also under the window leading to the hallway. While the bathroom door was also on the same place as it was in 201, the closet was on the opposite side of the room. It was right next to the door, creating a small recess in the wall next to the balcony door. The difference could be because there might've been some important pipes or electric cords in the place where the closet was supposed to be. It could also be because of renovations made by the previous tenants or just the preference of the ones who had the place built. Luckily it wasn't that important.

Ayame walked deeper into the apartment and looked through every corner in case of faults or something else that would lower the value of the apartment even more. We'd learned at school and from the internet to always make sure we weren't being tricked and Ayame had taken the advice to heart. I sighed and made my way to the window to look out. Unlike the demons and Kamazuki, we had a view to the back yard. I didn't mind, since it was actually a fairly enjoyable way to look at.

Ayame walked past me and onto the balcony, checking it was perfectly intact and that the paint job hadn't worn off too much. She also checked the outside of the apartment from that spot and then walked inside with a wide smile.

"Should we buy a high or a low table?" she guestioned, her mood suddenly risen.

"You didn't find anything worrying, then?" I asked with a small smile. "We're actually moving here?"

"It seems that way. Do you think blue drapes would be nice here?" she said, changing the subject to her liking.

"You're really into this, huh?" I sighed. "We should make the contract before anything else, Ayame-chan."

"Wow, Hana-chan being serious again~. This is truly a rare sight," she said. "I haven't forgotten how this world works yet, don't worry. I'm just glad we're half-done with out problems... even if this place isn't a mansion," she sighed.

"Yeah, only a workplace is missing. Hope you've really managed to find us some places."

"Umm, about that..."

"That won't work on me, Ayame-chan," I said and folded my arms. "I know you're responsible."

"Ah, it was worth a try," she said and shrugged. I giggled at her. "We should head back," she said and we exited the apartment.

* * *

><p>It took some time to make the contracts and arrangements needed for moving into the apartment, but we were ready to move the weekend before our first exam. We packed everything into carboard boxes and cleaned the room, leaving only the original furniture: the beds, desks, the bookcase and the closet.<p>

We stood there, in the middle of our old room in our cleaning clothes, waiting for the room to be checked before we could take our leave. The van moving our few things was already outside waiting for us. We took a deep breath almost simultaniously and looked around in the room.

"It looks so empty right now," Ayame said.

"Yeah..." I replied. "And so clean, too. It's like it's not the same room at all anymore."

"Mmh..." Ayame looked at me with a smile on her face. "I'm gonna miss this school." I didn't get to reply because the person going through the rooms got there.

* * *

><p>"So you went through everything with the landlady?" I asked Ayame, who was next to me in the back of the van. Our stuff didn't take too much room, so we got a ride from the movers.<p>

"Of course I did. Oh, and we even made an agreement that we could leave this and the next month's pay to the third month, since we don't currently have jobs. She's a really nice woman," the blonde explained and leaned against the wall. "We still have the water and electricity bills to worry about, though..."

"Not to forget our Wi-Fi and phone bills," I said with a chuckle. That's when the van stopped. We waited for a moment for the guy driving the van to open the back and start taking out our stuff. We offered a hand, since it was our stuff, and piled it together on the lawn.

"Are you sure you can't help us carry it inside~?" Ayame asked with a painfully flirty tone and shifted her shoulders in a helpless manner.

"Ah, I'm really sorry, miss, but I'm already running late for another job. My schedule is packed," the man spoke before heading over to the front of the van.

"Oh well, I guess it can't be helped then," Ayame said and waved to the guy. He got into the van and drove off while we looked at the boxes laid in front of us. "Guess we gotta get to carrying." Ayame got one of the boxes and turned to look at me when she realized I was wearing a smug smile. "What?"

"I didn't know you could use that approach as well," I said.

"Ugh, just shut up and carry this," she said and shoved the box she was holding to me. She took another one for herself and we headed for the apartment together. We were just about to enter the stairs when the door opened and Maou stepped outside.

"So, it's really true? You're moving into the building?" he asked.

"You thought we were lying?" Ayame said with a raised brow.

"No, it's not like that..." Maou said and rubbed the back of his head. "Do you need help with those?"

"If you don't mind," I said from behind Ayame.

"Not at all. Besides, you can do a favor to me in return sometime, hmm?" Maou suggested and took the box Ayame was holding.

"Unlikely," Ayame chuckled and we followed him inside.

"Taking a page of Emi's book, huh?" Maou frowned as Ayame opened the door to the apartment. Me and Maou took our boxes inside and then we headed out to get the rest. Maou stopped in the middle of the staircase like he was just realizing something.

"Oh, Ashiya isn't home, but I could try to force Urushihara to help with-"

"NO!" I suddenly yelled and almost dropped the box I was currently lifting. I cleared my throat before continuing. "I-it's fine, there aren't that many boxes anyway." Maou blinked before smiling again.

"That's true. We can manage," he said and grabbed one of the boxes.

* * *

><p>After all the boxes were carried inside we took another moment to look around the apartment. It wasn't large, but at least it held more room than our dorm room.<p>

"Do you guys wanna stop for a drink before you unpack everything?" Maou, who was standing nearest to the door, asked.

"No, I'm sorry. We still need to head out and buy some things and I really want to get everything out of the way before resting," Ayame said.

"Ah, that's right. Do you have the money, since you were only high school students before?" Maou asked.

"We have some savings for this particular occurance," I said and leaned against the closet doors. "No worries."

"I remember you saying you had part-time jobs before," Maou said with a smile. "Just wanted to make sure you had everything under control."

"Everything is perfectly under our control," Ayame sighed. "Remember that we're not actual high school students, but angels from Heaven."

"So is Urushihara, but all he can do is complain," Maou shot with a confident smirk.

"Touché," Ayame replied with a light chuckle. "Anyway, we're going to head out now," she said and closed in on the door, causing Maou to move into the hallway.

"You can stop by our apartment whenever you feel like it," he said probably out of politeness and entered the room 201.

"Thanks," Ayame replied. I grabbed our bags and stepped into the hallway as well. Maou gave us a quick wave before closing the door behind him.

* * *

><p>Me and Ayame went out and bought ourselves some necessary things like dishes, cutlery, a microwave and two futons. We also purchased a smallish, low table (because it was cheap) and Ayame even wanted to buy new drapes, but I told her we should leave stuff like that for another day.<p>

Once we made it home we started cleaning the place throughoutly. We also went through all the boxes and set the things we brought and the things we'd bought to their rightful places. We set the futons to the space between the closet and the balcony door, since there was a perfect recess in the wall for it. The low table we set near the kitchen, a little closer to the corner than at 201, because there wasn't a closet in the way and because it looked more balanced with the room shape and the futons.

The first thing I did after everything was done was plugging in my computer and making myself comfortable on the futon nearest to the balcony door. Ayame frowned upon my laziness, but let it go since she was tired as well.

"This closet is way bigger than our old one~!" Ayame exclaimed happily when she looked at the empty space left in the closet.

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><p>The next week passed quicker than it should have. I didn't even notice all the exams going by, even though I probably should have. I felt like I did fine in most subjects, too. Philosophy gave me some issues, since I couldn't remember most of the stuff I'd read about it. I had problems with remembering some things from music, too.<p>

During the exam period we were completely focused and after every exam we felt our anxiousness growing. Ayame was much more worried about her grades than I was, but I still felt the occasional sting when thinking about the anwers I'd put down on the paper.

Since we were so focused on school we didn't hold anything special to welcome us into the building. We got an occasional visit from Kamazuki, who'd been glad to hear we moved into the same building as her, but even then we weren't much entertainment for her. She picked up on our constant studying pretty quickly and she said she wouldn't come over until our exams were done.

Then, finally, the day came. The day that the results to the tests would be announced. To everyone's surprise, I passed every single exam. I even got fairly good grades from psychology and English. The success in psychology was probably because I didn't have much other choice than to study in class (since I didn't have any friends there). The English was easily explained by the fact that most of the internet was in English.

When it came to Ayame, she did much better than just passed. She actually made it to the ten best scores in some subjects. She must've studied even harder than I knew, since she was set up for failure without the knowledge from lower grades.

After the exam results had been announched was the graduation ceremony. It was very much like all the ceremonies I'd learned about on the internet, but it was still memorable. Some people were in tears, even. Throught the whole ceremony there was a wide smile on Ayame's face I couldn't quite grasp on.

Once the ceremony was done most of the students went to have an after party. We knew what that meant: lots of underaged drinking. We didn't want to attend even though we didn't know if any of our friends were going to. I didn't like big crowds and Ayame didn't like breaking the law, so neither of us had any reason to. I did suggest that we'd use our magic to trick someone in buying us alcohol, but Ayame was strongly against it. She didn't want to put any random person at risk of being arrested.

After arguing a little with her we did talk about tricking the person working behind the counter at a liquir store to selling us something. Ayame agreed after hesitating, but said it would be a one time thing. And so we got drunk in our new apartment, celebrating our success in life. Things were going into a fairly good direction at the moment.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]**

**Soo, after this chapter some interesting things are gonna happen again. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter even with the tons of text without much dialogue.**

**You don't really need to know about this, but I'll say it anyway. I'm gonna start going through the chapters from the beginning and correct all the grammar and spelling errors and other awkwardness I can find. When I started writing this story my skills in writing in English weren't as high as they are now. I've improved in this language a lot in the past few months and it's actually quite cool.**

**I've been reading the Hataraku Maou-sama! novels online and thinking about if I should rewrite this to match 'em better in the future. It's likely I won't, but still. It's too bad that I can't find it translated past the fifth volume! ._.**

**I also thought about which fanfictions I'm gonna write in the future. I'm gonna make a list on my profile, if you're interested.**

**Love you all, love everyone who follows, favorites and/or reviews extra-much! Thanks for reading!**


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